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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088148">Invocative Magic: [Performative Magics Part 2]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LateOctoberSkies/pseuds/LateOctoberSkies'>LateOctoberSkies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Performative Magics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shall We Date?: Obey Me!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Angst, Asthma, Author Is Not Religious, Breakfast, Camping, Character Development, Clubbing, Coffee, Consent, Contraception, Cooking, Dancing, Demons, Dress Up, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Ethical Debate, F/F Flirting, F/M, Fetish, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gaming, Glow-up, Hangover, Human Biology, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Kissing, Magic, Makeover, Makeup, Melophilia, Menstruation, Mild Threat, Music, Not Beta Read, Pacts, Pain, Pampering, Panic Attacks, Philosophy, Photography, Pillow &amp; Blanket Forts, Plot, Polyamory, Pride, Reconciliation, Religion, Religious Discussion, Religious Imagery &amp; Symbolism, Sexual Content, Sexual Politics, Sexual Tension, Singing, Sleep Paralysis, Slow Burn, Souls, Succubi &amp; Incubi, Tattoo Needles, Tea, Tea Parties, affirmative consent, harem route, sexual discussion, soft lucifer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:54:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>53,122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LateOctoberSkies/pseuds/LateOctoberSkies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hello! Welcome to part 2 of my fic centering around my MC, Luna. This is still based between chapters 18 and 19 in the game, filling in the gaps in time.</p><p>I will flag specific spoiler warnings and trigger warnings at the start of each chapter.<br/>There will be fluff, angst, religious discussion, and talk of sex and sexuality.</p><p>I don't have a beta reader, so I will do my best to catch any spelling/grammar issues. Please feel free to comment and give feedback, I enjoy reading comments.</p><p>Content Arc:<br/>1. To Sleep perchance to Dream: The Nightmare<br/>2. A Sacrifice to the Goddess<br/>3. Tea for Two<br/>4. Rhythm of the Night<br/>5. Indoor Camping<br/>6. The Melophile<br/>7. Floating</p><p>[Part 3: Law of Contagion is in progress.]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asmodeus/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Lucifer/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Performative Magics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1893334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. To Sleep Perchance to Dream: The Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luna has trouble sleeping amidst the stress of studying for midterm exams. Mainly features fluff and conflict with Lucifer.</p><p>Trigger Warnings: Insomnia, Sleep Paralysis, Mild threat.</p><p>Spoiler Warnings: Through Chapter 19; Phone calls at Intimacy lvl 15 (all brothers).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The week leading up to and including mid-term exams were brutal, leaving Luna little time to sleep. She was constantly on edge, but tried not to let it show. Instead she opted to keep quiet when not in study group. If any of the brothers noticed, they chose not to say anything about it.</p><p>Satan and Lucifer kept their word, helping her study in separate sessions, and covering different subjects. What she took away from them, she filtered down to Mammon, Beel and Belphie. Asmo and Levi seemed content to handle their own studying for the most part, but would occasionally take a baked good from Luna’s plate of study snacks when they had the chance. They had also requested one-on-one study sessions with her, which she found dubious; she was pleasantly surprised that neither Asmo, nor Levi distracted from their study goals.  To cram all the knowledge, she gained in the last 6 months into her head, she pulled all-nighters and got up early. She kept herself going with a combination of caffeine, sugar, sheer will power, and the occasional micro-nap. </p><p>When the exam week rolled around, Luna stopped reviewing the material on her own, but continued her study sessions with the ‘biscuit brigade,’ which was what she and Beel had decided to name their four-person study circle. Then there was they night Levi shoe-horned her into an all-night study session in his room the night before an exam. In her alone time, she would play games on her DDD and listen to music; it was her attempt to de-stress and get her mind at ease before sitting the exams. She still couldn’t sleep properly, and would often be up late as the fireplace died down into embers. </p><p>At the half-way mark of exam week, she nearly fell asleep listening to ambient piano music, when she felt something brush her face. Instantly she shot up-right, crouching on the sofa, and flailed her hands around in the dark, slapping away at the shadowy figure.</p><p>“Back-off!” she warned, gripping a pillow above her head to use as a weapon. When she came to her senses, she could see Lucifer rubbing at his face where she had apparently slapped him.</p><p>“You have clearly been training with Beel, Luna… I’m not sure you know your own strength.” His deep voice reached through the darkness, and she could tell he was sore.</p><p>“Oh… sugar… I… you caught me off guard.” She lowered the pillow and sat back down onto the couch properly. She didn’t apologise directly, he was the one who decided to creep up on her when she was vulnerable.</p><p>“You’ve been forming the habit of spending the night in here. Is something wrong with your room?” He took his gloved hand away from his face and folded his arms across his chest.</p><p>“No no…nothing like that. I just don’t want to change the context of the space. I haven’t been able to sleep properly and the last time I had this problem, a sleep therapist told me to stop reading, watching TV, and hanging out in my bedroom: <i>Bedrooms are for sleeping and sex</i>.” She put on deep voice to mimic the way the therapist spoke to her. Her heart was still racing with adrenaline and she was speaking really fast. She lifted her hand to remove her headphones and found that her hand was shaking. She tried to hide it, quickly raking the headset off and dropping her hand, but Lucifer had seen her instability.</p><p>“…Luna.” Lucifer took the seat beside her and took her hand. He was still dressed in his casual attire. She realised she had never seen him in pyjamas, and pictured him wearing a black or red silk matching set.</p><p>“What about you… you don’t seem to be able to sleep either…” she tried to shift the focus away from herself. </p><p>“We are talking about you right now. Are exams keeping you up at night?” He clearly knew the answer, but out of some sense of decorum decided to ask her to explain what was happening.</p><p>“Yes…” she looked away, but lightly squeezed his hand. “I’ve never tested well, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone…”</p><p>“You are an intelligent woman, I don’t see how you could fail, especially with me as your teacher.” His free hand gently cupped her face and coaxed her to look at him. Her mind drifted, imagining what his bare hand would feel like against her cheek.</p><p>“I… I know I will do the best I can… but,” she made eye contact with him through the darkness. “What if I <i>do</i> fail?” <i>Would he punish me in a similar way to how he punishes Mammon?</i> The thought gave her both fear and elation. </p><p>“We will cross that bridge if we come to it.” Luna could barely make out a smirk play across his face. She felt his hand leave her face and rest on her shoulder. “Come, I’ll make us both some tea to help us sleep.”</p><p>Lucifer kept hold of her hand as he led her into the kitchen, only letting her go when he moved to open up the cupboard filled with various jars of dried ingredients. He studied them a moment, selecting a few jars of distinct substances.  As he selected and produced a custom blend, Luna filled the kettle and put it on the hob to boil, turning to observe Lucifer.</p><p>Lucifer took as much care with preparing tea as he did with processing paperwork. Everything was done in precise measures. Luna noted the herbs, some she recognized, others she did not.</p><p>“So, what potion have you concocted for us?” Luna smirked and picked up a jar of valerian root. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the woody scent. She was not an expert in tea blending, herself. Most of her experience was from pre-mixed tea-bags. Loose-leaf was expensive, so she stuck with mass-produced fare. </p><p>“Just a blend that will help you relax; ingredients that aren’t offensive to the pallet when mixed together.” Lucifer kept his eyes fixed on his work.</p><p>“I sure hope it is stronger than my chamomile… it just isn’t cutting it right now. I may be over-tired…”</p><p>she sighed and rubbed at her face. The adrenaline in her system had faded now, leaving her feeling wobbly.</p><p>Lucifer looked as if he was about to speak when the kettle screamed. He crossed her path, lightly brushing against her to remove the kettle from the hob.</p><p>Luna moved to fetch a teapot down from the cupboard and set it down beside the ramekin filled with the dried tea blend.</p><p>“Do I put all of it in?” she asked, looking up from the counter. Lucifer nodded and watched as Luna tipped the mixture into the pot. She brought it closer to Lucifer so he could pour in the hot water.</p><p>“We’ll have this in your room.” He decided.</p><p>“Ok…” She was too tired to object, and was sure he was only attempting to get her into her room for the night.</p><p>They walked down the hallway together. Lucifer carried the teapot and Luna carried the cups. When they were inside, Luna closed the door behind her out of habit and set the cups down at the desk.</p><p>“I’m just going to brush my teeth, please sit where you like…” She gestured back and for the between her bed and the chair at her desk, not really bothered by what he would choose at this point. Luna was already dressed in baggy joggers and a T-shirt, so she was practically ready to climb in bed, once she had brushed her teeth and removed her bra.</p><p>When she returned to the bedroom, Lucifer had poured the tea and was sat on the bottom corner of her bed. He held his own cup, resting it on his knee. He had taken off his cloak, having hung it up on a hook on the back of her door. </p><p>It was only now that Luna noted how tired he looked. He didn’t speak until Luna had taken a seat at her desk, facing him. She picked up the tea and inhaled its aroma. It smelled earthy, as she picked up on the scent of valerian root, magnolia bark, and lavender. It must have been expensive to import these ingredients. The other scents she couldn’t place, but they added to the aroma in a pleasant way.</p><p>“Are… all the ingredients safe for me?” she looked from her tea to his face, feeling cautious. She remembered back to the time he had threatened her with tea that could put her to sleep forever.</p><p>“Yes, I’ve been careful not to put anything too potent in there for you.” He took a sip of tea as if to demonstrate its safety.</p><p>Luna mimicked him, taking a slow sip and placing the cup back down on the table. She knew that what was safe for Lucifer wasn’t necessarily safe for her, but she opted to trust him on this.</p><p>“I wanted to commend you, Luna.” He murmured. She could tell he was suffering from insomnia too, but wasn’t sure what the reason was for his troubles.</p><p>She gave him a questioning look. “I’m… not sure I follow… have I done something?”</p><p>Lucifer laughed softly and took another sip of his tea. “You’ve been helping keep Mammon, Beel, and Belphie on-track for studying, and Asmo and Levi too. I don’t know what you’ve done to coerce them into behaving, but they have been very dedicated and quiet during your study groups. I don’t think the house has ever been so quiet.”</p><p>“Oh… that. Maybe it’s my baking.” She forced a triumphant grin. “Well, at least I know that’s what keeps Beelzebub’s attention.”</p><p>Lucifer smiled and looked down into his empty cup. “You seem to have had quite the impact on us.”</p><p>Luna took a large gulp of her tea to stall. She couldn’t think of how to respond. After a moment all she managed was a forced ‘ah.’</p><p>Noting he was out of tea, Luna lifted the teapot towards him in a questioning gesture. In response Lucifer silently held up his cup to receive more tea. She filled his cup and topped hers up before setting the teapot down and moving to sit against her headboard, facing Lucifer. The tea was beginning to work, and she was feeling very relaxed.</p><p>“This is good tea,” she murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest. She glanced around the room for a moment, noting how eerily clean it looked, given the fact that most of her waking hours had been spent studying and taking exams. Perhaps it was because she was hardly using the room over the last few days, spending most of her time studying either by herself or with the others.</p><p>“I have many skills…” Lucifer smirked, looking pleased with himself. Luna could tell the tea was having an effect on him too. He was usually ‘all business’ around her, even during his more affectionate moments. But now, he was leaning back onto one of his arms, practically lounging at the foot of her bed. He breathed a heavy sigh and took another sip of his tea. “Sometimes, Luna… you have a calming effect on me.”</p><p>“Only sometimes?” she teased in a sleepy voice, letting out a yawn.</p><p>“Other times you are irritating…” His eyes drifted to meet Luna's gaze through the dim light of her room. </p><p>“I have many skills…” she teased, finishing off her tea and getting up to set her cup back on her desk. Lucifer stood to do the same and moved so that he was reaching around her, his chest was close against her back.</p><p>Before he could move away, Luna reached for his hand. She was too tired to speak, and had to gather herself. Lucifer took her opposite shoulder gently and moved close against her.</p><p>“Would you stay for a little longer…?” Her voice was almost a whisper.</p><p>“And what would I be staying for… sleeping… or sex?” Lucifer brought his lips against her ear. His soft, deep and mirthful words caressed her earlobe and sent a delicious chill down her spine.</p><p>Luna swallowed hard. “Would you sit with me until I fall asleep… Please?” She banished any arousal that stirred within her.</p><p>“Alright, Luna. Get into bed, and I will sit with you until you fall asleep.” He stepped out of the way, so she could get into bed. Tucked securely beneath the covers, she wriggled around to unhook her bra and slip it off beneath the layers of her top and the duvet. Blushing slightly, she stashed her basic bra under her pillow, hoping that Lucifer was not watching her embarrassed actions.</p><p>She had scooted against the wall to allow room for Lucifer to sit beside her, but to her disappointment, he opted to bring her desk chair over so he was sat next to the bed. Luna pouted to herself, and scooted over to the bed’s edge to be closer to him.</p><p>“I… think your voice is very calming… sometimes.” She admitted. “Would you talk to me? … About anything really. I just like your voice.”  Luna’s eyes were closed as she made her admission.</p><p>“I do hope you like more than my voice,” He looked down at her restful face and could tell she was already drifting. When she didn’t reply, he thought of what to say, remembering a poem from a collection of human poetry Satan had lent him. It had stuck with him because of his own troubles with sleeping.</p><p>“Come Sleep, O Sleep, the certain knot of peace,<br/>
The baiting place of wit, the balm of woe,<br/>
The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,<br/>
The indifferent judge between the high and low;<br/>
With shield of proof shield me from out the press<br/>
Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw;<br/>
O make in me those civil wars to cease;<br/>
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.<br/>
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,<br/>
A chamber deaf to noise, and blind to light;<br/>
A rosy garland, and a weary head;<br/>
And if these things, as being thine by right,<br/>
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,<br/>
Livelier than elsewhere, <i>Luna's</i> image see.”<sup>1</sup></p><p>Noting Luna was nearly out-cold, Lucifer switched in her name into the final line. By the time he finished reciting the poem, Luna was sound asleep. He watched her for a moment and could hear her breathing slow to the pace human bodies followed during rest. Now if he could only get himself to sleep. Slowly, he removed one of his gloves to gingerly brush aside some of her hair out of her face, tracing her jaw line as he took his hand away and re-gloved his hand. Her skin was soft, but not completely smooth. A few tiny pockmarks remained as shadows of scars she had obtained in her childhood from contracting chicken pox. Another more pronounced scar peaked around her chin. What her dossier had told him was that she was a rambunctious child early in life, play-fighting when her parents expected her to be playing with dolls. It also revealed that She had a penchant for the occult that only ran so deep, and by her own admission, she didn’t believe in an after-life in spite of her religious upbringing. Her obstinate attitude after learning the truth made her impudent and marvellous in his eyes.</p><p>Her file had been impersonally compiled by the record keepers of the Devildom, as was the way with all humans.  Her medical history as well as her moral history, and even the markers on her soul were available for him and Diavolo to review. That she had been ear-marked for Limbo was a secret that they were bound to keep, especially from Luna. She was still young, and there was time for her to change her mind. But something told Lucifer that her status as ‘virtuous non-believer’ would remain even at the conclusion of her stay in the Devildom. Perhaps this was the best place for her. He did not want her to burn in Gehenna<sup>2</sup> for her trespasses, nor did he wish to see her in the Celestial realm, where he could not reach her.</p><p>His thoughts made him check himself. He was perhaps too tired; it was not like him to contemplate the fate of a simple human, even if she was a distant descendant of his lost sister. And yet he found himself wondering what her ultimate fate would be when her comparatively short life came to an end. What would happen to her life once her year with them was over and she was returned to Earth? As much as she was having an influence on Lucifer and his brothers, he wondered what the extent of their impact on her fate would be. Did he want to have influence over her? Yes. Did he want his brothers to hold sway over her heart? No; not to the same extent as his own influence. But that was out of his control, how much Luna chose to let them in was not his decision. She had that power.</p><p>Slowly, he stood, now satisfied that she was properly asleep. Everything inside him urged him to stay, but his pride compelled him to leave. He could not wake in <i>her</i> bed; the game would be over then.</p><p>He ensured Luna’s door was secured and left her to her rest.</p><p>---</p><p>In the morning, Lucifer made his way down to the dining room, noting that Satan was the first to be seated at the table. They exchanged silent nods, but something tugged at the back of his mind. In the school week, Satan and Luna were usually the first ones at the table, sharing a cafetiere of coffee between them. Since Luna had introduced Satan to the concept, he had been hooked. Lucifer worried over the rate at which they were consuming human realm goods. It wasn’t cheap to import these things. Given that this was the pilot programme, Lucifer had kept a close eye on the human-friendly expenditures. Diavolo had essentially given them a carte-blanche to order what was needed to keep the human ‘happy and healthy’ to ensure that the programme was a success in every sense. None-the-less, Lucifer kept the items he would and would not order in for Luna to a tight list. If she wanted something, he made her fill out a form that included reasons for the purchase.</p><p>On one occasion, she had taken him off-guard by requesting fabric and various haberdashery to create washable cloth sanitary pads: <i>“It’s more sustainable that the disposable ones…”</i>  she offered. <i>“Levi said he would loan me his sewing machine, I just need this specific material…”</i></p><p>Lucifer and Satan sat in silence for mere moments before the rest of their brothers began to populate the dining hall.</p><p>It was when Levi arrived that Lucifer spoke, looking up from a stack of papers.</p><p>“Has anyone seen Luna this morning? This isn’t like her.” He briefly glanced around the table, hoping that one of them may have spotted her in the kitchen.</p><p>“I can check the common room,” Satan offered.</p><p>“She’s been falling asleep out there… She’s been having insomnia lately.” Levi piped up.</p><p>“No” Lucifer shook his head. “I put an end to that habit last night. I made sure she was asleep in her room last night.”</p><p>“Oh, and how did you manage that, big brother?” Asmo giggled.</p><p>“Oy!... You didn’t… did you?” Mammon looked both hurt and angry at the insinuation that Lucifer managed get ahead of him into Luna’s bed.</p><p>“Nothing of the sort! We shared a custom blend of tea so we could both get to sleep.” Lucifer shot an angry look to Mammon and Asmo. He was about to continue dressing them down, when the quick sound of Satan’s chair slid across the floor with a rough squeak.</p><p>“And what exactly did you put in that tea, brother?” he called over his shoulder, quickly rushing out of the room towards Luna’s room.</p><p>Almost in unison, Lucifer, Mammon and Levi stood, following after Satan. Moment later the youngest three brothers were hot on their heels.</p><p>They heard a pounding on Luna’s door and Satan calling to her. He was trying to break into her room to no avail. It was easy enough for someone as powerful as Lucifer to secure the celestial locks, but opening them again was another matter. </p><p>---</p><p>Luna heard the alarm on her DDD go off, but is sounded odd, warped even. She wasn’t even sure how long it was going off. There was a pounding on the door and someone’s voice calling through to her, but she couldn’t make it out clearly. Maybe there were multiple voices? She tried to move, but felt heavy weight across her whole body. She could see the room in a distorted way; the edges of her vision were fractured, and she realised her eyes were still closed. Panic began to set in, what was going on? Was it some curse? Had Lucifer misjudged his blend of tea? She tried to move at her shoulders, but a sickening ache moved through her body. She tried to flex her toes, nothing. All she could do was breath, but even that became difficult as fear rushed through her.</p><p><i>Is she dead?</i>. A voice echoed through the air and shadow.</p><p><i>For fuck sake</i>, she thought groaning in pain and frustration, but unable tell if it was audible. Shadows circled around her and one of them pressed against her forehead, another --was it another?-- checked her pulse at her wrist.</p><p><i>… her heart is racing</i>.</p><p>Luna took a deep breath as if to respond and try to calm herself. This wasn’t her first encounter with her mind waking up before her body did.</p><p>
  <i>Can you hear me?</i>
</p><p><i>Yes,</i> She thought, but couldn’t answer. Hallucinations swirled and warped among the shadows: Faces and eyes and teeth and claws; things slinking and crawling along the walls and around her bed.</p><p>This wasn’t new. Memories of when she was going through puberty bubbled up. She had been here before; not here exactly but in this situation, but she had always been alone when it happened. Her mind really fucked with her at these times.</p><p>She continued to try and calm herself, focusing her mind on moving her fingers. A few minutes passed and the voiced continued to circle and multiply. Her mind stirred and the shadows pulled away as her body caught up with her brain. She violently wrenched herself sideways and groaned, tucking her body into the fetal position on one side.</p><p>She felt a hand on her arm and she shrugged it away.</p><p>‘Don’t… just give me a minute…’ her voice croaked as she mentally shook-off the weight of sleep.</p><p>“Are you ok, Luna? You scared us there for a minute.” It was Leviathan’s voice, but she could hear it from her door way. She righted herself and turned to see more than half of the brothers standing around her bed. Her face coloured deeply.</p><p>“I’m… fine…It’s not the first time.” She shook her head, her voice sounded groggy and pained. She felt dizzy.</p><p>“This happened before?” Lucifer’s voice was stern and demanding as he spoke. “When?”</p><p>“Not here.” She waved a hand swatting away the notion from the air.</p><p>“We thought you were cursed…” Mammon’s voice came from beside her. He was sat on her bed. He hand was resting on her shin over the duvet.</p><p>“Or poisoned…” Satan stared daggers at Lucifer.</p><p>Luna looked around the room between the four eldest brothers crowded around.</p><p>“Is she OK?!” three voices in near unison called from our in the hallway.</p><p>“She’s awake!” Luna called out into the hall. It was now she noted that everyone was dressed ready to go to RAD. “What… time is it?” she began to panic and climbed around Mammon to get out of bed and push past Satan and Lucifer to rummage through her drawers for clean socks and underwear. With a feeble body, she pushed through to her bathroom, grabbing her uniform as she passed. </p><p>“Luna, you need to answer the question…” Lucifer called through the bathroom door. Hurriedly, she put on her clothes and dragged a brush through her hair.</p><p>When she emerged, everyone was staring at her, three additional faces peered in through the door. In panicked motions she finished buttoning up her blouse and fiddled with her cravat, attempting to make it look presentable.  </p><p>“I’m <i>fine</i>… really. It’s just sleep paralysis, it happens sometimes: the brain wakes up before the body does. It’s harmless, though it freaks the shit out of me.”</p><p>Lucifer nodded to his brothers “You all head to RAD. You’ll be late for your exams.”</p><p>“But <i>I’m</i> her escort, bro.” Mammon replied.</p><p>“I’ll take her this time.” Lucifer stood with his arms crossed. No one moved. “Go!” he shouted which made them all jump. One by one they made their way out of her room and off to campus. Luna stared after them, turning to Lucifer when they were all gone.</p><p>When they were alone, Lucifer turned to Luna and his expression changed from anger to something more remorseful.</p><p>“Luna, please tell me what that was… I worry I may have misjudged with the tea –”</p><p>“I mean, I’m no doctor, Lucifer. I can’t rule out the tea having an impact, but it happens with humans suffering from insomnia on occasion. It’s really OK.”</p><p>He closed the distance between them and unexpectedly pulled her close, hugging her tightly. “I thought we had lost you.”</p><p>Luna laughed awkwardly and patted the top of his back. “I just shouldn’t fall asleep on my back… that should fix it.” He wasn’t letting her go, and she was starting to feel smothered.</p><p>“Lucifer… would you let go, please. I love hugs, but your squeezing a bit too tight.”</p><p>He released her quickly and attempted to regain composure.</p><p>“We should get you to campus. If you are late for your exam, I’ll do what I can to schedule a re-sit for you.”</p><p>Luna nodded and gathered her book bag. As they left her room, she noted that the locks on her door were singed. Did they break in? She then wondered how they had been secured in the first place, given that Lucifer had sat up with her.</p><p>“We’ll have to get those replaced,” he explained. “It took four of us to get them open.”</p><p>“That explains the audience…” Her face coloured, her own human fragility was confronting her. They made their way through the house, and Luna could feel a heavy cloud hang over them.</p><p>“I am sorry I gave you all a scare… but I thought you’d know almost everything about me in from your file…”</p><p>“Not everything… much of it, but sometimes the record keepers miss things, or put incomplete information in human dossiers. That photo, for example. The notes said you modelled, but it didn’t give further details.”</p><p>“I see.” Luna frowned and opened the front door. Lucifer locked it behind him and they walked in silence for a while on their way to RAD.</p><p>“Perhaps we should cross check your medical records, just to be on the safe-side. I’d hate to think we end up poisoning you due to an unrecorded allergy.” Lucifer didn’t look at her as he spoke in an attempt to hide his shame.</p><p>They walked at a quick pace, and as they approached the RAD campus, the bell rang out, signaling the start of the first exam.</p><p>“Heck…” Luna groaned. “I’ve made us miss the first exam… I had this one in the bag, too.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll speak with Lord Diavolo and we can submit an appeal to the head of Faculty. It wasn’t your fault.”</p><p>“I mean it was… my stupid body betrayed me.” Luna shoved her hands in her pockets and kicked at the ground.</p><p>“I don’t like hearing you talk about yourself that way.” Lucifer finally looked at her and his expression softened. “I can’t help but feel responsible… If I made a mistake with the tea, I could have killed you."</p><p>“Maybe we should just keep to human realm ingredients in tea? Although I don’t know if there are human realm things that would make demons sick… other than maybe holy water?”</p><p>“There are… but they are very specific.” Lucifer did not expand on the subject. Luna suspected that revealing such knowledge might be problematic.</p><p>Luna leaned against a pillar, not knowing how to proceed. A chasm of guilt and embarrassment lay between them.</p><p>“Luna, If… If I did anything that jeopardized your safety, I humbly apologise.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t have guessed that this would bother you so much… I’m ok really. I feel fine… relatively speaking.”</p><p>“Good; I won’t compel you to lie, but I request that you down-play the hand I may have had in your sleep paralysis. It would not look good to have doubt cast on my abilities as your care-taker.” He thought of the prospect of Luna trading accommodation with Solomon and it angered him. That she didn’t think her safety was of utmost importance to him bothered him.</p><p>Luna frowned. There it was; what she expected: Lucifer was more worried about the appearance of things over the pure truth of the matter. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but it still hurt.</p><p>“Come, let’s go to the library and start the paperwork for your appeal. Fortunately, I didn’t have an exam this morning, so I can give your plight my full attention.”</p><p>“Sure. Thanks” Luna turned, making her way across campus ahead of Lucifer so he couldn’t see the pain behind her eyes. Her own pride got the better of her where Lucifer was concerned. If he hurt her feelings, she didn’t want him to know, and she didn’t understand why. </p><p>---</p><p>The remainder of the exam week went off without further incident, much to the relief of the entire household, especially Luna. She didn’t want to have to explain it to everyone, but Lucifer insisted she alleviate any remaining doubts. It was more for him than it was for her; it was an exercise in saving face, and she felt like Lucifer was expecting her to dance like a marionette. Instead she took the situation into her own hands: If she had to explain the frailties of her human body to a group of demons, she would do it in her own way and without much warning.</p><p>With Levi’s help, Luna set up a projector in the common room on the Saturday after exams. She had spent the day working on it alone in her room, and wrote a twenty-minute presentation on what sleep paralysis actually was.  Before dinner, Luna and Levi worked together to connect the system up and she loaded the presentation onto her tiny laptop. She ran through the presentation with Levi and asked him to promise not to reveal anything to the others.</p><p>“If I want this to be effective, I need everyone else to approach this cold.” She said, shutting down the laptop and unplugging it from the projector set-up.</p><p>Levi nodded. “I think you might want to be careful, Luna. This may end up pissing Lucifer off… he’s already had an argument with Satan about the tea situation... It nearly got physical... But I like your presentation style, it is very charismatic… and the jokes are funny too. I wish I could present like that.”</p><p>Luna sat down on the couch, careful not to come into close contact with him. She knew physical interaction was quick to set his nerves aflame.</p><p>“Well, I’m happy to do any test-runs for any presentations you have for school… It’s just rehearsal and theatre really. I treat it like a conversation through performance, you need to rehearse.” She smiled at him, watching as he looked away. He always had difficulty making eye contact with her.</p><p>“It’s such a normie skill to have. I’d rather be behind the scenes.” He was picking at the sleeves of his jacket as he mumbled under his breath. He wanted so desperately for her to sit closer to him, but he was afraid of taking things too far. It was simply enough for them to sit together and for Luna to give him her undivided attention. </p><p>“I’m sure you’d do just fine, it just takes some practice… They also say you should picture everyone in their underwear…” When Levi looked up at her suddenly, she gave him a sly wink nudged him with her elbow gently.</p><p>“Is that what <i>you</i> do?!”</p><p>Levi Blushed and stared at her in awe. She laughed and shook her head.</p><p>“Not my tactic; I tend to pick people to speak directly to every few sentences. For a larger audience, you can just stare over the crowd to the back wall.” and I do appreciate your help with the set up and the run through. I haven’t done one of these since I graduated Uni… It’s been kind of fun to do it again… I hope the others get a kick out of it, and that Lucifer chills out a bit.”</p><p>“Your expectations are too high on that last part.” Levi looked concerned.</p><p>---</p><p>Over the evening meal, Lucifer kept glancing at Luna, expecting her to address them and smooth over the tension that lingered. When the meal was finished, Lucifer attempted to prompt her, but Luna ignored it. Instead, she stood and collected her plate and a few serving dishes from the table.</p><p>“Luna… Don’t you have something to say to us?” Lucifer tried to keep her from leaving, but Luna stepped around him.</p><p>“In good time… I have set up the projector in the living room, so If everyone could please meet me there, I’d appreciate it.” She said in a saccharine tone.</p><p>Luna went to the kitchen to deposit her dirty dishes. Before she moved to the common room, she collected her laptop from her bedroom and started to get everything loaded as the brothers took their seats and made themselves comfortable. Once everyone was settled, she started her presentation.</p><p>“I have been asked to assuage Lucifer’s ego and explain what happened on Thursday morning so you can stop accusing him of poisoning me.”</p><p>Lucifer glared at her from his seat in his arm chair as Luna started her presentation. A large image of Henry Fuseli’s “The Nightmare” (1792) was projected on the screen, and the title “An introduction to sleep paralysis” was splashed across the screen.</p><p>“Now, I hate being asked to draw this kind of attention to myself…” she began, moving to stand next to the projector screen, “but here we are, and If I don’t get this over with now, I am afraid some people won’t let it go…” She glanced between Satan and Lucifer.</p><p>“You said you were fine… so why can’t we just leave it there…” Mammon barked, “We’re supposed to be on a break from learning now anyway…” He was clearly not thrilled at the prospect of having an at-home lecture.</p><p>“I’ll give you a test on this if you’re not careful, Mr. Mammon.” Luna teased, adopting a lecturer’s tone. “This won’t take long… I’m sure you can spare fifteen minutes. Then we can all enjoy the rest of our evening.”</p><p>Luna launched into her presentation, beginning with the image on the screen and the depictions of gothic horrors, and accounts of similar occurrences reaching back to ancient Greece. 
“Humans used to attribute this to supernatural forces, but perhaps… for the most part these were merely attempts at finding an explanation for something they didn’t understand. Knowing what I know now, I cannot definitively say witches or incubi or spirits were not responsible in some cases, but for the most-part it is safe to say it is temporary issue stemming from sleep disorders like insomnia. Indeed, sleep paralysis under natural circumstances is no cause for alarm.”</p><p>Luna talked on for a few moments longer, going into the science of sleep paralysis, and describing the accounts of others who have gone through it. She cracked a few jokes an peppered in some puns, eliciting a few chuckles from the younger demon lords.</p><p>“So, in summary: I’m fine, it’s not a big deal and it has inspired some pretty cool artwork and horror stories.”</p><p>“So how do you definitively know Lucifer’s Tea wasn’t to blame?” Satan asked, glaring across the coffee table at Lucifer.</p><p>“Well I <i>don’t</i> know, actually. But I doubt it given my history of having this issue. From the fact that I haven’t been sleeping properly I can assume it wasn’t a major factor if the tea played a part at all. Further experiments would need to be carried out, but I doubt time would allow for that, and I’d rather not and just move on from this.” Luna nodded and moved to stop the presentation. “Plus, I’ve decided to take him at his word over it. I watched him mix the blend together, and I asked if it was safe. He said yes, so that’s that…” Luna was about to unplug her laptop when Lucifer stood and crossed the room to confront her.</p><p>“My office…<i>now</i>.” His tone was cold, but his eyes were furious.</p><p>“Fine…” she retorted. “After you…” she made a sweeping gesture, mocking him. She knew she was playing with fire, but if she backed down, she would lose respect. She saw the others shift in their seats, and she stole a glance to Levi who was looking nervous.</p><p>She followed not far behind him through the library and into the office. With a wave of his hand the hidden book-case door slammed shut; Luna closed her eyes at the bang. She was sure the others would have heard it.</p><p>“What exactly was that… How <i>dare</i>  you mock me…” He was seething.</p><p>Luna placed her hands on her hips and stuck her chin out defiantly. “I’m not your puppet, Lucifer… I’m not going to whisper sweetly into you brothers’ ears to make you look better or do some song and dance to ease your self-doubt. And you can't use me as a tool to control them.”</p><p>“You are treading on uneven ground, human…” Lucifer was leaning across his desk, gripping at the surface.</p><p>“No… I’m not. I did what you asked… my way. You wanted a performance, and I gave you one. They know enough now not to worry and I was honest about what I do and don’t know about what happened to me the other night. I didn’t call you out, I didn’t blame you for anything. I did my research and presented a pretty fun presentation to take the attention off me specifically, and maybe they learned something tonight.” Luna dared to step closer and he turned on her, pinning her against the wall.</p><p>“What you don’t seem to understand, Luna, is the precarious situation you find yourself in.” He glared down at her, but she didn’t make an attempt to get free.</p><p>“What are you going to do, Lucifer… punish me like you do your brothers?” She challenged him with her gaze not breaking from his.</p><p>“Don’t tempt me…” He growled at her. She got a rise out of him in a way her brothers didn’t, and yet he felt compelled to go easy on her. </p><p>“Don’t threaten <i>me</i> with a good time.” She sneered.</p><p>“You need to learn some respect.” He thought about teaching her a lesson right then and there, but she verbally struck back at him before he could act. </p><p>“No! You need to earn it.” She didn’t break eye contact, and he could tell from the tremor in her voice that fear was creeping in, and yet she persisted. </p><p> “What?” Lucifer was surprised and backed off. </p><p>“I treat everyone with respect, Lucifer, including myself. But if you want to <i>continue</i> to have my respect, you need to show some in return. You were so preoccupied with your own feelings of embarrassment; you didn’t think about mine. Waking up with all of you standing over me… I was mortified.”</p><p>“You are so…”</p><p>“What? Stubborn? If I just roll-over, you won’t respect me; none of you will.” She moved away from the wall and put some distance between them.</p><p>“I was going to say difficult for such a basic human,” he said through gritted teeth. He witnessed the pain in her eyes shift from fear to sorrow.</p><p>“Well, half-way done now. You won’t need to put up with me for much longer. What’s six months to someone who has been around for thousands of years? Soon I’ll be out of your hair.” She turned to go and Lucifer grabbed her shoulder to stop her. She didn’t look at him.</p><p>“We’re not done here…” His voice had gone flat again and he felt his wounded pride fizzle out at the thought of her leaving the Devildom.</p><p>“Yeah? Well, I am… take it out on me when I’m standing in line for my eternal punishment or whatever... I’ve got better things to do than have you yell at me and make me feel horrible.” She felt his grip lessen and she rolled her shoulder to shrug him off. She recognised that he was letting her go, and he could have taken whatever steps he wanted to keep her there. </p><p>She opted not to return to the common room, and decided to get into bed early; She was both emotionally and physically exhausted. Luna locked the door to her bedroom behind her and sat down on her bed, burying her face in her hands. She hated the drama of it all, because it was beginning to feel pointless. Her own words repeated in her head.</p><p><i>Soon I'll be out of your hair</i>. Six months wasn't even a long time in the span of a human life, how much significance would this year actually have for her life? For their lives? How could she return to normal afterwards? Did she even want things to return to normal? She had been getting emotionally attached to everyone in spite of herself. The original plan had been to keep her head down and get through this year, unscathed. She had people to return to and life-plans to consider, but everything was changing and she was properly scared for the first time in her life. She knew that the weight of her time here would be significant to her; but for the Lords of Sin, how could one year hold so much emphasis? And surely as time crept on across their immortal existence, this year would cease to hold any importance.</p><p>She blocked a fat tear from rolling down her cheek and tutted at her emotions. <i>Get a grip, Luna,</i> she chastised herself. She wasn't the type to think she was any different from any other human; She wasn't special, and normally that didn't bother her, in fact her own insignificance had been comforting. But in the Devildom more emphasis had been placed on her time, and it bothered her. Everything was under scrutiny from others and even herself. </p><p>She took a few deep breaths and lightly slapped at her face to snap herself out of the melancholy rising within her: "Get on with it, Luna" She muttered to herself, spurring herself to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was another day, and she had to keep moving forward.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. Sonnet 39 - Sir Philip Sydney<br/><a href="https://interestingliterature.com/2017/01/a-short-analysis-of-sir-philip-sidneys-sonnet-39-come-sleep-o-sleep/">https://interestingliterature.com/2017/01/a-short-analysis-of-sir-philip-sidneys-sonnet-39-come-sleep-o-sleep/</a><br/><br/>2. Gehenna in Rabbinical Judaism is considered to be a kind of 'waiting room' for souls to wait before entering heaven. It's like a place for souls to be cleansed. I though this would be interesting to incorporate into the story and is head-cannon to fill in the blanks. </p><p>Oooh boy! This one went longer than I originally anticipated. So much angst here! I've set up the over-arching conflict to be centered around Luna's relationship with Lucifer, but this set will feature relationship building with the other bros in the individual chapters. There may be a bit more angst to provide a contrast with the fluff, but my goals are for this to be a feel-good read. Also, more wholesome Beel Fluff to come! </p><p>I'm also experimenting with using a third-person omniscient perspective, to allow for insight into the Bros' minds too.</p><p>I Hope you enjoy. I don't have anyone acting as a beta-reader, so this is going out direct. As always comments and feedback are welcome, and I do enjoy reading comments!</p><p>I have decided to change the posting schedule to once a week across Friday thru Sunday.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Sacrifice to the Goddess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luna receives some pampering from Asmo while experiencing period pains, Mammon joins in later; This one is SUPER fluffy.</p><p>TW: vomiting; descriptions of menstrual pain (mild description).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Luna woke early, feeling a stabbing, squeezing pain in her guts.</p><p>“Eugh… hello stranger.” She spoke, addressing her cramping womb. As she stood mild nausea rolled through her and hunched over. It was Sunday, so at least she could reasonably hide without having to call in sick to school; beyond that, they had two week break before classes commenced again.  She would have to call in sick to the Library, however. After the incident last week, Luna was uneasy at the prospect of occupying demon spaces while menstruating. Things always got awkward when she was having her period. The guys would know by the smell, if not for the way she carried herself.</p><p>---</p><p>The first time she bled in the Devildom was incredibly awkward. Her cycle had been late in the first place, and if not for the fact that it was impossible for Mary to have gotten her pregnant, she would have been concerned. As it turned out, the stress of being transported to the underworld delayed her period, which abruptly started in the middle of her Theory of Magical Potions class. Fortunately, she had been prepared for the start, wearing a pad as a precaution while at school. Her cramps signalled the start of her bleeding, and the longer she sat, the more the students around her began to shift uncomfortably, glancing back towards the source of the odor of metallic death.</p><p>Mammon had come to her rescue, asking for them to be excused, announcing that Luna was ill, and promptly taking her home. The walk to the House of Lamentation had been agony for both of them it seemed. He was incapable of speech while he dragged Luna home, but when they were safely inside the house, Mammon brought himself to speak.</p><p>“You…can’t smell like <i>that</i> at RAD.” Mammon said through gritted teeth. He had been gripping at the banister, trying to prevent himself from jumping her.</p><p>“What? How did you know…” Luna looked over herself in the hall mirror, assessing if there were any leaks. She was mortified.</p><p>“Demons have a keen sense of smell… and we are attracted to the stench of blood and death…” He spoke through gritted teeth, almost growling.</p><p>“I… I had no idea.” Luna’s face coloured. Surely it wasn’t <i>that</i> intense?</p><p>The pain increased and she doubled over as nausea rushed through her and she felt a pain at her temple. For Luna, day one always carried the worst symptoms and she felt desperate to get into bed and hide in darkness. This was perhaps the most intense they had ever been. Later, she would come to the conclusion that it was an environmental factor, but in that moment, she felt like her guts were rejecting their host, desperate to escape.</p><p>“Luna? Mammon… what are you both doing out of class?” Lucifer had appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down at them with a mixture of confusion and anger. “She’s only been here a little over a week and now you’re getting her to cut class?”</p><p>“Uh, we’ve got a problem, Bro.” Mammon gestured to Luna, who was now bracing herself against the wall. As Lucifer started down the stairs, his nostrils flared and he came to a halt.</p><p>“I misjudged how strong that would smell.” Lucifer clasped his hand over his nose in an attempt to mask her scent.</p><p>Luna groaned in pain and embarrassment. “…how is this real?!” She covered her face and slid down to sit on the floor.</p><p>“You can’t stay in the foyer, Luna…” Lucifer noted, maintaining his composure and continuing to descend the staircase and coming to her side. He extended his free hand to her and she took it, allowing him to lift her to her feet. “Mammon, return to school… I will take it from here.”</p><p>“I thought <i>I</i> was supposed to be responsible for her?!” Mammon looked like he was fighting himself as darkness swirled around him and he fought back a transformation. The desire to both consume her and screw her played in his mind, but he was just about able to keep his baser nature at-bay. “You’re just going to take advantage of the situation, aren’t you?” Mammon looked half-crazed and Luna felt another wave of nausea seep up to her throat.</p><p>She dry heaved and stumbled to her room so she could up-chuck her guts in private. After vomiting up her half-digested lunch she sat back from the toilet bowl, reaching to flush away all the evidence. She felt hot and feebly began to take off her uniform jacket, chucking it out the door. It landed against Lucifer’s feet.</p><p>He stood in the doorway of the bathroom watching as Luna struggled, pulling at her red cravat and unbuttoning her blouse at the neck. He watched her lay flat against the bathroom floor and wriggle out of her uniform trousers. Her scent became stronger and he winced.</p><p>“Luna… control yourself.” His hand came up to his face again, but is effort to shield himself from her scent was futile.</p><p>“Everything feels too tight… It hasn’t hurt like this in years.” Quiet tears streamed from the corner of her eyes. She tugged at her blouse in an attempt to cover as much of herself as possible, sitting up.</p><p>“What do you need?” Lucifer tried to keep talking to a minimum. If he had been a lesser demon, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his baser nature at bay: her smell and the sight of her in disarray sent waves of desire through him. The look of agony on her face was almost too much, but he steadied himself against his wants.</p><p>“Ibuprofen or Co-Codamol for my head… hot water bottle… ginger tea… dark chocolate and a quiet space… to be alone.” She was breathing heavily. Lucifer nodded and disappeared. He would return later with the items. Once Luna was squared away, he left her alone, advising she lock herself in her room for a few days. Unfortunately he could not do anything for her pain, she would have to ride that out.</p><p>Once her pain and flow had settled, they had to have a chat about how they would proceed as a household. It was clear that for at least the time she was bleeding, she could not be on campus. It posed too much of a distraction to the other RAD students, not to mention her housemates.</p><p>The celestial locks would also have to be put in place, which meant having a rather delicate conversation with Diavolo and Simeon.</p><p>---</p><p>Now armed with her reusable pad and in her most comfortable clothing, Luna crept into the kitchen to get hot water to make tea and fill her hot water bottle. Fortunately, she wasn’t experiencing migraine this time and could function reasonably well, though the tension in her lower back was unpleasant.</p><p>It was still early in the morning, so she would have some time before Satan and the others would start to meander around the house for breakfast. She didn’t want the brothers hanging around her like buzzards circling over carrion. She worked quickly to gather the things she would need, and stole away to her private sanctuary. She got to work, making a nest from her pillows and comforter. Before she sat down, she took a sip from tea and took our her DDD to send a message to Lucifer.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: It’s a bit late this time, but it’s shark week. Stay clear.</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Luna was loathed to text him now, after how they left things last night.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Lucifer: I had my concerns… does this explain your attitude last night?</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: I stand by what I said.</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>“What a ass…” she muttered to herself, flopping down on her back and letting her DDD sit on her pillow.</p><p>Before she could nestle into her bed, there was a knock on her door. She assumed it was Lucifer, and shouted through the door, telling him to go away.</p><p>“It’s me, Luna…” Asmo’s muffled sing-song voice came through the door. And Luna stood to open the door just a crack. The magics of the Celestial locks were still busted, but they still functioned enough as basic locks. She peaked through to see Asmo standing with a large hamper, grinning widely.</p><p>“Not now, Asmodeus. I hurt too much to play with you today.” She muttered; her voice sounded crackly.</p><p>“That’s why I am here, lovely Luna.” He beamed at her through the crack in her door.</p><p>Luna poked her face through the door, widening the gap. “Could you smell me all the way in your room?” Luna recoiled at the thought and felt like a disgusting mess.</p><p>“No, sweetness, Lucifer announced over our brother’s chat group that we should keep away from you today and tomorrow, as you are in the midst of red rhapsody. We can also <i>sense</i> your pain in a way.”</p><p>“Lucifer made a command and you went ahead and came to see me anyway… How very Mammon of you.” She sighed and opened the door. Lucifer was in enough of a mood already, but she wasn’t in the mood to uphold his status quo. “You might as well come in then, but no funny business…” with slumped shoulders, Luna grabbed up her hot water bottle and crawled into bed. She flopped down on her belly, shoving the heat-source under her body to try and sooth the pain. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get a hold of human pain killers in the Devildom. It was something to do with them being <i>controlled substances.</i></p><p>“Oh Luna, as enticing as you do smell right now, I am not here to molest you.” Asmo crossed the room and set the white wicker hamper on her desk. Luna turned her head to look at Asmo. “That is… unless you want me to,” He added with an air of lust in his voice.</p><p>“I’ll pass on being fondled, thanks. ” She propped herself up on her elbow, keeping her hips flat against the hot water bottle beneath her.</p><p>“I hate that you are hurting. Our pact has led me to sense that you are in pain, and unlike <i>some</i> of my brothers, I don’t like to know that you are so uncomfortable. It is very distracting.”</p><p>“Yeah, well my womb goddess hates me right now and wants me to die.” Luna buried her face in her pillow to muffle her displeasure. She felt pathetic.</p><p>“Well, allow me to bring offerings to her … I brought chocolate and silly romance films, and if you’ll let me, I will pamper your pain away…”</p><p>“Why are you being so nice to me, Asmo? We may have our pact, but I’m not dumb enough to think you have no ulterior motive. Are you going to attempt to <i>unleash my desire</i> again?”</p><p>“My motive is to have some of your time and to ease your pain and comfort you if you will permit me to.” He sat down on the edge of her bed and presented her with a bar of dark chocolate flavoured with sea salt. </p><p>Luna eyed him suspiciously and took the chocolate bar from him. Carefully, she rolled to her side to face Asmo, clutching the hot water bottle to her abdomen. He wasn’t attempting to use his sexy gazerbeam on her, so she decided to let him stay.</p><p>“OK, Asmo. You can stay…” She could use the company as well, especially after her argument with Lucifer last night. Maybe Asmo could shed some perspective.</p><p>“Excellent! Now, come sit up and put your head in my lap. Item one in my regimen is a scalp massage and facial.” He quickly grabbed a draw-string bag from the hamper and returned to sit cross-legged against her headboard. He placed a throw pillow in his lap and guided Luna to rest her head on the pillow. “Oh my, Luna, your poor skin… I’m sorry this happens to you all the time. Let Asmo look after you…” he began applying a toner to her face to mop away the excess oils from her skin. He then applied a cleansing lotion to his hands and began to massage it into the skin on her face.</p><p>Luna, once tense, began to relax as Asmo cared for her skin. Once he was done with her facial he began to massage her scalp, drawing his slender fingers through her hair. His hands were deceptively strong.</p><p>Luna let out an involuntary moan as he rubbed at her temples.</p><p>“You’re so good at this, Asmo…” She felt like a she was turning into a puddle of goo as tingles wiggled down her neck and spine.</p><p>“There’s more than one way to skin a cat…” He murmured with his light voice.</p><p>“Ok… I may have to book you in for next month; I think I’m feeling better already.” She chuckled sleepily and opened her eyes to see Asmo’s lusty autumn gaze peering down at her.</p><p>“We’ll I’ve got one more place to massage, then I’ll paint your nails, and then we can snuggle. Get on your stomach and I’ll ease the pain in that sore back of yours.” Perhaps it had been the pact, or perhaps because they house had successfully navigated a few of Luna’s cycles now, but Asmo was finding it easy to control himself. Or perhaps it was his motivation to get information from her. He has told a white lie to get her to agree to stay, and he hoped it wouldn’t sour things too much. He just really wanted to know all about Luna’s sexual history.</p><p>Luna obeyed the instruction and replaced the hot water bottle beneath her. Asmo straddled her legs and pulled out lavender oil from his little bag. He lifted her hoody to expose her lower back and warmed some of the oil in his hands. He was determined to make her so comfortable that she would be more amiable to telling him about this <i>Mary</i> Mammon had been so jealous about.</p><p>He coaxed sighs of relief from Luna as he dug into her back with deft fingers, easing the tension there. When he was done, he climbed off her and put his bag of lotions away. He rummaged through the hamper once again and searched for the perfect shade of nail polish, he selected a lavender-grey with some iridescence to it.</p><p>“Time to put your head back in my lap, Luna.” He smiled.</p><p>“You seem to be enjoying this way too much, Asmo.” Luna grew suspicious. “Why do I have the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop?”</p><p>“Oh, I seek no payment for my services, just some information.” He winked at her as she shifted back into his lap. Asmo he lifted her hand and began to assess his canvas. “Really, Luna, must you keep your nails cut so short?” He pouted and began to apply a base coat to her nails.</p><p>“Well… You can’t be an effective top with long nails… I really don’t like scratching people when I’m trying to get them off… it’s rude and I like to think I’m a polite bedfellow.” She watched as Asmo slowly dragged the polish along her nails, assessing his work before moving between fingers.</p><p>“You could always wear gloves… And some like a good scratch” he suggested, humming happily.</p><p>“Ooof not everywhere…” she winced at the memory of times she had been scratched by partners who had been too lazy to keep their nails free from sharp edges. “Also it’s not very environmentally friendly.”</p><p>“Did you top Mary?”</p><p>Luna shifted uncomfortably: <i>behold the other shoe</i>, she thought.</p><p>“Sometimes… when she was in the mood for it.” Luna watched as Asmo lifted her other hand and started to apply the clear nail polish. She wasn’t entirely sure what motivated his interests beyond liking to talk about sex. Maybe demons were not 100% aware of how humans had sex with each other; even some humans were not completely aware.</p><p>“What was she like when you were together?” Amso mused, relishing in the new knowledge.</p><p>“She was so attentive in bed, and a power-house in the dungeon. She topped from the bottom with me, taught me a thing or two. I’m not very femme, but she is this gorgeous goddess… so femme and lovely, and soft.” Luna’s mind drifted thinking about her ex. She clearly wasn’t completely over her.</p><p>“The dungeon?” This piqued Asmo’s interests.</p><p>Luna blushed. “yeah… I… well I got involved with the BDSM community back home. Mary and I met at a club when I was with another partner. We played together and really hit it off.” Luna swallowed hard as Asmo’s eyes locked with hers. “Mary had plans to open a club of her own, and she wanted me to help. It got messy when we tried to be business partners as well as partners in love.”</p><p>“Oh Luna, you are full of secrets! I bet you are a real kinky minx, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Not secrets…  I didn’t think that information was necessary for everyone to know about. I am not as intense as some though… not to shame others, but it isn’t how far I want to go.” She pursed her lips and her brow knotted.</p><p>“Tell me more, Luna!” Asmo returned to her right hand to apply a layer of colour. “How long were you with Mary?”</p><p>“A about a year and a half… that’s a record for me.”</p><p>“Did you love her?” His usually chirpy voice deepened an octave, and Luna sensed he was teasing her.</p><p>“I still do… I still love just about everyone I’ve slept with… I just don’t necessarily want to have sex with them anymore.”</p><p>“You have a big heart, don’t you?” His expression changed from mirthful to something a bit more serious.</p><p>“You could say that, I suppose.” She shrugged her shoulders started chewing at the inside of her lips.</p><p>“Is there still room enough for all of us?” Asmo placed a hand over her heart and nudged her chest gently.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“You said the other week that you had to be friends with the people you were intimate with… What about Mammon?”</p><p>“Oh hell… he blabbed about it didn’t he?”</p><p>“Blabbed about what, Luna?” Asmo smirked.</p><p>She groaned and shut her eyes. “The night we were… interrupted by Lucifer… He called me and one thing lead to another…”</p><p>“Oooh I do love how painfully honest you are. Did your moans sound like the ones I got from you earlier?” Asmo lifted his DDD and pressed play on an audio file. She heard herself moan and say You’re so good at this, Asmo. Out of context it sounded like they had been in the throes of passion.</p><p>Luna’s mouth dropped and the reached for the phone, but Asmo held it out of reach. She struggled to get up and wrestled with him for the device.</p><p>“Asmodeus, how could you?!” she whined, fighting to get the phone. Asmo was shorter than she was, but being a demon, he was much stronger and wasn’t afraid to fight back. He slipped the phone into his back pocket and pinned Luna to the bed, his eyes flashing with want.</p><p>“Don’t worry, petal. That sound bite is just for me...mostly” He bent forward and licked the tip of her nose. “You’re so cute when you’re angry…”</p><p>“Asmo, please… you’re not being a very good friend if all this was to get dirt on me.” Her body went slack as she stopped struggling beneath him. Asmo loosened his grip on her wrists and sat back, still straddling her.</p><p>“Luna… you wound me. I thought I was your <i>best</i> friend?!”</p><p>Luna sighed and covered her face with her hands. She didn’t really believe in the concept of ‘best friends,’ but Asmo would have to fight it out with Levi if they wanted to call themselves that.</p><p>“Asmo… I enjoy spending time with you, but there always this… expectation I get from you. It’s always about sex…”</p><p>She pouted, leaving her arms where Asmo had pinned them.</p><p>“Hmph… I may be the Avatar of Lust, but other things are important to me. What about all the pampering and beauty tips I give you?”</p><p>“While it is fun to play dress-up with you, you tend to put me in things I’d never wear… They’re too feminine for me.” She felt Asmo take her hand and gaze over her nails.</p><p>“Well… maybe I can try to be more accommodating of your personal tastes.” He admitted. He soon got distracted and tutted. “I’m going to have to re-do a few of these. Our romp has ruined the paint-job. Your skin has improved already, though.” Asmo hummed and stroked her face, his thumb rubbed against the scar on her chin. “How did you get this? I can tell it’s been with you for a long time.”</p><p>“Wrestling with the boys in school… I used to get in fights all the time. One of them pushed me down in the grass and onto a sprinkler head. My mum was livid… I didn’t really care except for the fact that I lost the fight.”</p><p>“So you’ve always been a brute?” Asmo giggled. “I bet if I asked Solomon nicely, he would remove it for you.”</p><p>“No… I think it gives me character.” She smirked. “Plus… I don’t know if I exactly want to be in debt with Solomon. I’m still trying to work him out. He’s a good sport for playing tennis with me though.”</p><p>“Oh… I would tell you what I know, but that would violate the demon-pact privilege.” Asmo winked and let go of her chin. He slid back enough for Luna to sit up. Their faces were very close now.</p><p>Luna was about to ask him to elaborate, when Mammon’s voice came from the open doorway.</p><p>“Oy…What the hell do you think you’re doin’, you sex gremlin!” Mammon was sneering and moved to pull Asmo off of Luna.</p><p>“Ooh Mammon, you are so strong…” he teased. This made the situation worse. Asmo fussed over Mammon, who responded by shoving Asmo off of him.</p><p>Asmo smiled at Mammon’s jealousy and sat back down next to Luna. The Avatar of Lust wrapped his arms around Luna’s shoulders and started to play with her hair as he stared back at his older brother. “I’ve been allowed to share time with Luna during one of her more delicate moments…” He took his DDD out of his pocket and hit play on his audio file. “Tell me Mammon… who made her moan more?”</p><p>Mammon stood dumb-struck, and his eye went wide. How could Asmo get in front of him on this.</p><p>“h-HOW… and it’s Shark Week… I’m no snitch, but you are really pushing it Asmo. I’m the older brother, and the first she’s made a pact with… You really stepped in it this time.” Mammon looked wounded. </p><p>“He’s messing with you… The truth is he was giving me a scalp massage when I said that.” She pushed at Asmo to get him off of her and after a few shoves, he reluctantly let her go. “If you’re going to weaponise that sound-bite I want you to delete it.” She glared at Asmo, folding her arms across her chest. She was sure she would have to bargain with him.</p><p>Mammon moved to sit on her over side and draped his arm over her shoulder.</p><p>“Of course! That makes sense! Why would you let anyone besides THE MAMMON, have the privilege of getting you hot and bothered?”</p><p>“Easy don Juan… I never claimed we were exclusive… after one phone call.”</p><p>“Why would you, when you have so many options to choose from? I’d never expect your love exclusively, Luna. That’s why I should be your number one.” Asmo took up her hand and kissed the back of it.</p><p>Mammon swatted at Asmo, trying to shoo him away.</p><p>“Guys… enough please… can I get horizontal again? I’m more delicate than usual and if you are going to rough-house, can I please not be in the middle of it?” The pain in her abdomen rose up again and it carried through into her speech, manifesting as anger.</p><p>They both let her go and she crawled back into bed, burying herself in her duvet and pillows.</p><p>“You ruin everything, Mammon!” Asmo pouted. “If you were more willing to share, we both could have had snuggles… I worked so hard to get Luna all relaxed…”</p><p>“Yeah… so you could obtain blackmail material…” Mammon glared at him.</p><p>“Just shut-up both of you… if you’re not going to be nice to each other, you can leave now.” Luna’s voice was muffled under the blankets.</p><p>“Oh Luna… I was really looking forward to our cuddle time… and watching movies together.” Luna groaned and sat up in bed, her hair was mussed and Asmo quickly reached out to smooth it around her face.</p><p>“Fine… you can stay, but only if you promise to behave.” Luna noticed Mammon getting ready to object. “You can both stay.”</p><p>“Excellent!” Mammon bounded up and sat between Luna and the wall. “What are we watching?” he smirked, pulling Luna against him.</p><p>“It’s called Desire,” Asmo said in a breathy voice.<sup>1</sup></p><p>“The one with Marlene Dietrich?” Luna asked, watching as Asmo produced a laptop from his hamper. She remembered leaving hers in the common room last night, and made a not to herself to hunt it down when she could. “She’s an icon! Though I have to admit I haven’t seen many of her films.” Asmo settled in beside Luna. The three of them had to get close so they could all watch the screen. It was a nice enough film; though Luna was vocal about the out-dated gender stereotyping.</p><p>The film was nearly over when her DDD started ringing: It was Lucifer. Both Asmo and Mammon exchanged looks. Luna rejected the call and set her phone down. The phone started ringing again and she ignored it.</p><p>“Are you not going to answer? I can pause the movie.” Asmo murmured.</p><p>“He can wait… I’m busy” She sunk down further and took each their hands in each of hers. “Besides, I’m in good company now… why spoil it.” Luna’s tone was unconvincing and they both exchanged looks over her head.</p><p>They finished the film and Asmo closed the lid of the laptop, setting it down on the floor beside him.</p><p>“Lucifer’s going to get angry again… You should have seen him last night.” Asmo sounded worried.</p><p>“He didn’t take it out on you guys, did he? That’s not exactly fair…” She was noticeably upset at the prospect of the others facing the repercussions of her actions.</p><p>“Say Luna, as much as I like your grit, you should be careful! He goes easy on you, you know?” Mammon was unusually gentle in his tone.</p><p>“I know… But If I bend the knee, how could I live with myself when the novelty wears off?” Luna sighed and finally opened up the bar of chocolate. It had gone a bit soft sitting next to the heat of the laptop, but she didn’t mind. She carefully broke a square off and offered pieces to Mammon and Asmo.</p><p>“What do you mean by <i>novelty</i>?” Asmo asked, taking a piece for himself and handing the bar over to Mammon.</p><p>Luna took a small bite of her piece and let the salted dark chocolate melt over her tongue.</p><p>“Oh, you know… once you guys get bored of the shiny human toy… the novelty of having a new thing in your life; it’s exciting at first, but once you’ve played with it enough, you get bored and move on. I’m sure next batch of exchange students will be just as exciting… I know I’m Lilith’s descendant, but I’m also human. We don’t live as long as you do.” She looked at the remaining hunk of her chocolate and ate it in one bite. She licked the melted chocolate off her thumb and glanced between them. </p><p>“You don’t think we’re that shallow do you, Luna?” Asmo looked hurt. Mammon just kept silent and his face reddened.</p><p>“I can’t assume I’m something special… I’m sure you’ve all made pacts with witches and all sorts more powerful than me. I’m probably a pretty vanilla choice for pact-making.” Luna laughed. “I mean, you have a pact with Solomon, Asmo. I’m sure you get up to all sorts of exciting schemes.”</p><p>“Well… yes, but… I can’t speak for the others, but you hardly ever invoke the pact, and when you do, you always ask permission first… except for that time in the bathroom.” Asmo frowned and nibbled on his square of chocolate.</p><p>Luna blushed. “I’m sorry about that one… I acted rashly. I don’t want to make you guys do anything you don’t want to… and I don’t want to go summoning you without you being in on the plan. I mean, without much magic I don’t really know how to do that anyway.”</p><p>“You’re not a novelty, Luna…” Mammon finally muttered, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. Asmo joined in the group hug, snuggling into the crook of Luna’s neck.</p><p>“I think we’re all happy you’re here,” Asmo said softly.</p><p>Luna smiled sadly, but rubbed Asmo’s shoulder; he seemed to purr as she touched him. They were all surprised that the effects of her menstruation hadn’t had as much of an effect. Perhaps the pact had softened the volatile nature of their reactions? Whatever the reason, Luna was glad for it, and happy for the platonic nature of their cuddles. She was a tactile person, and these last six months had been difficult for her. She had to constantly restrain herself from making physical contact, so as not to have her actions misinterpreted as come-ons.</p><p>“Me too.” She admitted. “And as lovely as our cuddle puddle is at the moment, I’m afraid I will need to kick you both out of here so I can take a shower.” Both of them objected to being kicked out, but she promised that they could have an old Hollywood movie session again some time. Mammon said he would text her later, and looked both ways outside Luna’s door to make sure the coast was clear. Before he left, Asmo handed over a second bar of chocolate and went on his tip-toes to plant a kiss on Luna’s forehead.</p><p>“In case the goddess needs further appeasement,” he gave her a big smile before sauntering out of the room carrying the wicker hamper under his arm. Luna chuckled to herself as she shut the door and latched the defunct celestial locks.</p><p>Luna relished in her time in the shower, thankful that the hot water never seemed to run out. Perhaps the perks of being in hell was that the water was never cold. She took longer than usual, letting the water wash away the remainder of her pain and some of the smell.</p><p>She dressed in the bathroom, donning a clean set of PJs and climbing back into bed. She reviewed the missed calls on her DDD. Lucifer had attempted to call once again while she had been in the shower. She took a deep breath and returned his call.</p><p>“Luna… I trust you are well.” Lucifer’s tone was short.</p><p>“I’m fine. You wanted to speak with me?” She matched his tone.</p><p>“Yes, I called to let you know that your re-sit is scheduled for Thursday, will you be able to attend then?”</p><p>“My flow should be pretty light… but I assume hardly anyone will be on campus because of the break.” She took a seat on her bed, and tucked her feet under the covers.</p><p>“Yes…” He replied, then there was silence.</p><p>“Thank you for making those arrangements for me.” She could only manage a cold cadence in her voice. She was still upset with him.</p><p>“Luna…” His voice was flat again.</p><p>“Yes, Lucifer?” She fully expected him to launch into scolding her about last night.</p><p>“It’s nothing… get some rest. If you need anything, let my brothers know and they will bring things to you.” He promptly ended the call, and Luna put her DDD down on the bed beside her.</p><p>With a heavy sigh, she settled back down into bed and tried to sleep-off the remaining pains that plagued her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. At the time of posting, You can watch <i>Desire</i> (1936) in its entirety  on YouTube. Its a Rom-Com about a jewel Thief (Marlene Dietrich) who meets a hapless American automotive engineer (Gary Cooper). </p><p>I also just wanted to give due credit to the other writers who have written about the concept of demons being attracted to menstrual blood; it seems to be an established/developing trope in the fandom. This first fic I read is called <i>Blood Moon</i> by Obeymepoptart. </p><p>This is my take on the trope, plus some additional head-cannon that the pact makes it so they can sense when she's pain to an extent. I'm going to write more about this in the next chapter, which is tea with Satan.     </p><p>I wanted to note that I don't have experience in the BDSM community myself, but I aim to be respectful when depicting it. In terms of learning resources on the subject, I've consulted Kat Blaque, Watts the Safeword, and Sexplanations (Dr. Doe) on YouTube. (Their content is technically NSFW, but is educational in nature).</p><p>As always, comments and feedback are welcome, and I hope you enjoy! (I love getting comments!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tea for Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luna has tea with Satan, some exchanges with Beel and Lucifer. Some angst, some fluff, some sexual tension.</p><p>TW: Tattoo Needles, discussions of pain/past injury; discussions about procreation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the rest of the week leading up to her resit, Luna sequestered herself in her room. At this point hiding in her room while she menstruated was clearly more for the benefit of her housemates than for her own comfort. While Mammon and Asmodeus seemed able to control their urges, she wasn’t entirely sure this was a wide-spread phenomenon. Beel – in particular – gave her a wide berth during this time for the fact that he feared his own uncontrollable hunger. It did not prevent him from texting her about new ideas he had for their training sessions however.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Beel: I’d like you to try dead-lifts next. I think you’d be pretty good at it.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: Are you sure there will be weights that I can use to start with at the gym? I know I’ve got powerful thighs, but I’m not confident I could even lift the bar on it’s own.</i>
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  <p>
    <i>Beel: I’ll figure something out. </i>
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  <p>
    <i>Beel: Luna, I miss being able to train with you when you are… like this. </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: Me too, Beel. It’s only a week though. Let’s plan to train on Sunday ok? &lt;3</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>A few of the others would call to keep her company, and Levi would convince her to plan Mononoke Land with him.</p><p>If she had been braver, she would have tested her hypothesis that their Pacts made their reactions to her menses less intense. For now, she would keep the routine of hiding.</p><p>When Thursday rolled around, Luna woke early and showered thoroughly, dousing herself in deodorant and patchouli-scented cologne; if it could mask the smell of human decomposition, perhaps it would work well enough on the final day of her bleeding.</p><p>She had two escorts that morning; Mammon and Satan, both of whom commented on her scent as she entered the foyer.</p><p>“Ok… I grant that it is a strong smell, but can you smell…my blood?” Luna made a gesture at her crotch, pointing at herself with both hands. “I’m trying to get inventive here… I’d rather not have to spend almost whole week in my room. I’d rather be able to at least move around the house freely.”</p><p>Mammon leaned closed and inhaled deeply and shook his head. “I mean it’s barely there… but are ya sure this is the best solution? You smell like wet dirt… and not like <i>you</i>.”</p><p>“I sure she is doing her best Mammon, better that she smells like the earth, and not attract unwanted attention… Though I do admit it is a bit strong, it isn’t altogether terrible.” Satan gave his older brother a sideways glance. “She will smell like herself again tomorrow, by my calendar.” Satan looked into his DDD and Luna flushed a little.</p><p>“Are you… tracking my cycle… You really don’t have to do that!?” Luna pushed past them and out of the house, anticipating that they would follow.</p><p>The walked together, the brothers flanking her on either side guarding her. She tried to push the thoughts of her biology out of her mind as she reviewed the notes written on her index cards. She was confident enough about this exam, but wanted to make sure that she had the more complicated information fresh in her mind.</p><p>The demons deposited her at one of the smaller classrooms where one of the faculty over-saw her re-sit of the exam. She did not need the full time allowed, and was able to get through the questions without much difficulty.</p><p>When Luna exited the exam room, she was greeted by Satan. He had been waiting, leaning against the wall opposite the door. He held a book in his hand, but Luna could not make out what the title was. It was written in Infernal, and she was still struggling to learn. Fortunately for her, the Infernal language courses were set-up to be pass/fail like her others, so she didn’t have to worry too much about failing. Most demons spoke human languages by whatever magics they had at their disposal. Luna gathered that they mostly learned through their seductive speechcraft courses. Luna was not in that class, though one or two of the brothers asked to practice on her in the time leading up to examination. Luna would only allow it with a chaperone.</p><p>“Are you to be my only escort, Mr Satan?” She asked, pausing in the doorway.</p><p>Satan’s green-blue eyes lifted from the page he was reading and he moved away from the wall. His gaze always felt like it was piercing through her, and made her feel like a piece of tissue paper. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the way Lucifer looked at her, but Satan’s gaze always held a cool determination. It made his angry outbursts all the more startling, because it was like quickly turning the tap from cold to hot and getting immediately scalded.</p><p>
 “I managed to convince Mammon that I could handle taking you home on my own. It wasn’t very difficult.” He smiled at her and offered her his arm in a gentlemanly gesture.  Luna took his arm and they began to make their way down the hallway.
</p><p>“I’m not sure how you managed that. When Lucifer tries to monopolise my attention, Mammon flips out, but when you do it, he doesn’t seem to mind.”</p><p>Satan glanced at her sideways and Luna saw that she struck a nerve.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Satan… I shouldn’t compare you to Lucifer. I can only guess how that makes you feel… even after your reconciliation.”</p><p>“I’ll forgive you this time.” He patted the back of hand that Luna rested against the crook of his elbow. “Besides, that just means Mammon underestimates my intentions. That works in my favour.” He smiled at her.</p><p>“And what <i>are</i> your intentions,” she asked, glancing back at him. She was sure her face was beginning to redden. Satan’s smirk widened as he saw the colour in her face shift.</p><p>“Why, to ask you to tea this afternoon, of course. You still owe me a batch of cookies… and your company.”</p><p>“You could have called or texted.” She offered and Satan frowned at her.</p><p>“That wouldn’t be the gentlemanly thing to do, nor would it afford me the extra time to walk with you.”</p><p>“I see…” She smiled back at him.</p><p>They walked together at a relaxed pace. Luna talked through her exam experience with him, noting that she felt pretty confident about it. She noted that is was all due to his assistance, and she thanked him for the time he spent with her reviewing the exam topics.</p><p>“It was no trouble,” Satan smiled at her. “You are a good student.”</p><p>“Well, I do enjoy learning. Especially about history and culture, and society…” She trailed off and looked up at the murky dark sky that hung above the Devildom. She was sad that there was no sunshine to speak-of, but understood the logic of it. They continued to walk arm-in-arm making pleasant conversation about the TV Dramas Luna had seen in the Human Realm.</p><p>When they arrived at the House of Lamentation, they parted ways, agreeing to meet in Satan’s room in a few hours, giving Luna enough time to change out of her uniform and into something more casual and to make a fresh batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.</p><p>Luna waited in the kitchen with her cookies as the batch cooled, knowing that if she left them unattended, Beel would devour them while they were still hot. To pass the time, Luna flipped through her Devilgram on her DDD, reviewing the latest posts made that morning. While she had an account herself, she didn’t post selfies. Her posts were usually found-objects that seemed out of place, or mundane items staged at odd angles. She played with the filters and would put some quote in the description underneath. She kept her account on private as well, so that only permitted accounts could see her posts. It had been discussed with Lucifer and Diavolo at the beginning that putting her image out on the devilnet would not be wise.</p><p>When the cookies were cool, Luna plated half of them and made her way to Satan’s room. As she approached the stairs, she saw Lucifer descending the staircase. She stopped in her tracks and nodded in greeting. In the last few days, they had only exchanged terse texts to communicate anything that was <i>important</i> according to Lucifer’s discretion.</p><p>When he reached the bottom of the stairs, she wordlessly offered him a cookie from the plate.</p><p>“I trust your re-sit went well.” He looked at the small pile of baked goods and chose one. He held it between his thumb and forefinger. “I need to speak with you in my office.”</p><p>Luna shook her head. “It will have to be another time. I have a prior engagement.”</p><p>Lucifer looked down at her with feigned cool indifference. “Oh?”</p><p>“I’m having tea with Satan.” She nodded, and pulled out her DDD. “My week is pretty booked up, actually.” It wasn’t a lie to avoid him, though she was sure that was what he thought. She had promised her time to each of the brothers when they asked to spend their break time with her. Mostly as thank-yous for the effort she put into helping them study.</p><p>“You will need to move something, then. What I have to discuss with you is important.” Lucifer’s eyes narrowed.</p><p>Luna shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. Down time is just as important as business time, so you will have to wait. I can give you Monday morning.” She started to enter in a new appointment into the calendar app, blocking off time for Lucifer.</p><p>He glared at her, unsatisfied with her failure to acquiesce to his demands. In the beginning she had been more amiable to his requests, following his instruction for the most part; or at least that had been his impression of the situation. Her deception surrounding Belphegor had deeply upset and embarrassed him; he had been shocked and angered by the fact that a powerless human could manipulate the situation. Under her mask of obedience had been a devious streak, which now sat at the very surface. It wasn’t that Luna acted unreasonably, but she began to refuse his requests and fought back against him. He had not been anticipating such reticent defiance against his systems. Yes, she would follow the rules, so long as it suited her; but once she found something objectionable, she would gently protest and stand her ground in an argument. She never yelled at him, though, her tone was always even and measured.</p><p>“Monday morning it will be then.” He nodded. “We’ll take breakfast in my office to squeeze our meeting in. 7 am. I have a lot to see to on Monday.”</p><p>“Great, I’ll make the coffee.” Luna gave him a sarcastic smile and started to make her way up the stairs.</p><p>“Perfect, bring breakfast through for us as well…” Lucifer smirked at the notion of Luna rising early to make breakfast for him and him alone.</p><p>With their backs to each other, Luna made an angry face and muttered obscenities under her breath. She recognised the power-play and resented him for it. Meanwhile, Lucifer was pleased with himself; with her obstinate behaviour and delicate biology he had to find more subtle ways of punishing her for crossing him. He still harboured animosity for the way she had accumulated pacts with his brothers.</p><p>“Was there something you needed to say to me?” He nearly snapped at her, turning his head to glance at her over his shoulder.</p><p>“Nothing at all.” She forced a sweet tone and continued up the stairs. “See you later.”</p><p>When she approached the door to Satan’s room, she took a deep breath and banished her frustrations with Lucifer. She was determined not to let him spoil her afternoon.</p><p>Lightly, she knocked on Satan’s door. When there wasn’t and answer, she tried the door handle and the door opened. She didn’t open it completely, but knocked again and called through.</p><p>“Satan, are you in there?” There wasn’t a sound. She hesitated and knocked a third time and entered the room with the plate of cookies held out in front of her. The room was empty, and she sighed.</p><p>“Luna… my apologies, I got carried away speaking with Levi.” Satan’s even voice made her jump slightly, and few cookies fell from the plate and broke as they hit the floor.</p><p>“Shit…” She looked for a place to set the plate down and was at a loss. High stacks and pillars of books flanked the room, creating barriers, almost like a maze. It wasn’t her first time in Satan’s room, but usually they didn’t spend time here together.</p><p>Satan took the plate from her and set it down on one of the lower stacks that he used as a make-shift table. The demon’s room was desperate for a professional organiser to work their way through everything. Luna knelt down and collected the pieces of broken cookie, careful to get every last crumb and wondering if Satan kept a waste bin somewhere in this leather-bound labyrinth.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she said standing. “I thought you might have been lost in a good book, and that’s why you weren’t answering. I didn’t mean to intrude.”</p><p>“Not a problem at all.” Satan shook his head and took a step closer, taking the broken pieces from her cupped hand. “I still need to make the tea. Please make yourself comfortable, I shouldn’t be long.”</p><p>Luna glanced around the room and noted that the only places to sit were his small bed and his arm chair; The rest of the room was filled with hazardous stacks of reading material.</p><p>Carefully, Satan slinked past her, barely making contact as he stepped over a pile of books. Luna moved further inside the room and tried to read some of the titles on the books. The light in the room was not great, only candles dotted around the room provided illumination against the long shadows cast by the Moon peering through the window.</p><p>It was only two in the afternoon, or so her DDD told her, but the Devildom having no sunlight made it difficult for Luna to keep track of time without setting alarms on her DDD. It meant getting better at her time management skills and taking vitamin D to counter-balance her lack of exposure to the earthly sun. She took up an oatmeal raisin cookie from the plate and began bit into it carefully. They were still warm and soft, which was how she liked them. She had to tiptoe around the books on the floor to make her way to the chair in order to sit down. She was baffled at how anyone could possibly sleep in this room. The sheer level of clutter was staggering.</p><p>When she finished her cookie, she brushed her hands off on her trousers and bent forward to pick up a few of the books scattered on the floor. Carefully, she constructed a stack near the chair.</p><p>When Satan returned, he found Luna crouched on the floor tidying. He watched her a moment as she picked up the books on the floor, glancing over the titles and adding them to the little tower she was building.</p><p>“You really shouldn’t trouble yourself, Luna.” Satan crossed the room and set the tea-tray down on his bed.</p><p>“Sorry… I just got a bit… antsy.” She didn’t want to admit that spending time in his room made her anxious for fear of knocking something over.</p><p>Satan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before waving his hand and muttering a spell under his breath. From the floor the scattered books rose through the air and added themselves to various stacks around the room. When the last book settled, he opened his eyes again. “There is order in my chaos, I assure you.” He nodded and moved the tea tray to a side table that had been made free by his magical tidying.</p><p>Luna picked up the plate of cookies and moved them to the tray.</p><p>“Please sit with me, Luna” Satan took her hand and guided her to sit beside him on his bed. He watched as her cheeks flushed again. “I promise I won’t try to seduce you… just yet.” He smirked at her and moved away from her slightly to give her space.</p><p>Luna tried to change the subject quickly. “What kind of tea are we having? No sleepy tea, right?” She laughed at her poorly-timed joke and Satan’s expression flipped from placid to perturbed.</p><p>“I don’t appreciate the insinuation… I would never be so careless with your health.” Luna noticed the cold fury sparking behind his eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I guess it hasn’t been long enough to joke about…” She nervously fidgeted with the cuffs of her hooded sweatshirt.</p><p>“It’s Darjeeling; I thought it would pair nicely with your cookies.” Satan bent forward and checked on the tea’s progress steeping. “I know you prefer coffee, but perhaps we should take it easy with the stimulants now that the exam period is over.” He smiled at her and started to pour the tea. “Sugar?”</p><p>“No thank you” Luna shook her head and watched him strain the tea over a delicate china cup.  He offered her the cup and saucer. As Luna reached for the tea, his fingertips gently caressed the back of her hand and sent a shiver through her. She thanked him and brought the cup closer to her, waiting to drink until he had poured one for himself.</p><p>She brought the cup to her lips and blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip. It was a bit too hot for her at the moment, and she burned the tip of her tongue. She winced and brought the cup and saucer to rest on her knee. They sat in silence for a moment while Satan took a sip from his tea; being a demon, he could stand hotter temperatures than she could, though she was unsure how heat would impact the taste of the tea.</p><p>“Have you ever thought about book shelves?” She asked, glancing around at the piles of reading materials stacked around the room.</p><p>“I have my own system, and it suits me well enough…” Satan gave her a haughty look, setting down his teacup on the tray.</p><p>“You know, hoarders make the same claims.” She teased. “Besides, you may be damaging the book spines… unless Devildom publishing practices produce their books from sturdier material.” Luna was no librarian, but she was sure that if a human archivist could see the way Satan stored his books, they would have a mental breakdown.</p><p>“They do, actually. The rarer books in my collection are stored differently.”</p><p>“Aren’t you ever afraid of getting buried in books? In the human world there are these shows about people that hoard things… they usually find dead animals in the piles of stuff, and then you also hear about the people who die because their towers of stuff fall on them and they get trapped…”</p><p>“Are you concerned I’d meet a similar fate?” Satan chuckled and watched as Luna nervously eyed the tower of books looming over them.</p><p>“I mean, you might survive getting buried in so many kilos of books, but any human would die from internal injuries.”</p><p>“I promise to rescue you if we trigger an avalanche,” he smirked. “I must confess, that I wanted your undivided attention today, otherwise I would have suggested we take our tea in the music room. But that pesky Mammon would be all over you. I can’t have that now, can I?”</p><p>“I see,” Luna nodded; she could feel her cheeks growing warm. “I gather you would like to continue where we left off from our time in the Royal Library.”</p><p>Satan nodded in response.</p><p>“I’m curious about what your plans are for your return to the human realm. You mentioned not wanting to have children. Don’t all humans desire children?” He sipped on his tea eyeing her facial expressions.</p><p>“Not really, no… I’m not sure where you get your information from, but some people are averse to the very idea. Myself included.” Luna was fully expecting to have to launch into a justification of her reasons.</p><p>“Well, I suppose not everyone desires to <i>be fruitful and multiply</i>. But you are still young, perhaps you may change your mind?” The way Satan asked the question differed from how men and older women challenged her on her life plans in the past; his tone did not carry an air of judgement.</p><p>Luna rolled her eyes: “That’s what I’m confronted with all the time… the myth that a life fulfilled has to include procreation… especially for women. I have no instinct for parenthood, and I resent being told by others that I don’t know my own mind or wants. My mother once told me that it was selfish to feel the way I do about it…” Luna sneered into her cup of tea, remembering back to the times her big, god-fearing family would insist that she would eventually cave and have kids once she found <i> the right man</i>.</p><p>“The heart doesn’t want what it doesn’t want,” Satan mused.</p><p>“It isn’t even a matter of heart sometimes, but logic… raising children is a commitment none should take lightly; and I may not have much control over things in life, but my body is the one thing that is completely mine. I should have full discretion over what to do with it…”</p><p>“Like getting a tattoo…” Satan pointed at her hip where that tattoo was hidden beneath the layers of her jeans and underwear. </p><p>“Exactly!” Luna nodded and gave Satan and wide smile. “And what I chose to decorate my body with is my business… though I will think about my next piece for a bit more than my first. As far as first tattoos go, it could be worse.”</p><p>“May I see it?” Satan’s eyes were glued to where he expected it to be on her body from the photograph.</p><p>“I guess I don’t see why not… I got it out for Beel. Though the light is terrible in here.” Luna stood and faced Satan, hesitating a moment before she unbuttoned her jeans and carefully folded down the waist band on her right side.</p><p>“Not for me; demons can see well enough in the dark.” Satan leaned forward, but did not attempt to touch her. When she lifted up the waist band of her underwear, his eyes narrowed to study the design.  The simple line work was acceptable enough, but over time the ink had faded in places and could really do with a touch-up.</p><p>Satan’s hand twitched as if to reach out, but he thought better of it, catching his own hand by lacing his fingers together in his lap.</p><p>“Do demons get tattoo? I mean… other than when they are in their demonic phase…” Luna’s mind thought through each of brothers, marking off which of them had markings when they transformed. Satan was the only ones who didn’t seem to have a mark, though perhaps it was hidden beneath his clothing.</p><p>“I suppose some do… but different tools would need to be used. Your human machinery might not pierce the layers of skin deep enough to leave a mark.” Satan sat back and his eyes lifted to her face. Luna was assessing the tattoo herself, and ran her own fingers over the image. Most of the time she didn’t think about it now. It was a part of her skin, and on a part of her body she didn’t see that often.</p><p>“Hmm… you’d probably need diamond-tipped needles or something…” She shrugged and fastened her jeans back together again.</p><p>“At the library you mentioned enjoying the sensation?” Satan patted the space beside him to coax her back to his side.</p><p>Luna sat back down, leaning against Satan’s headboard. “Yeah… in a way. But then there are so many different types of pain. The section of the tattoo closer to my hip-bone hurt the most, but the rest of it was just like a scratching sensation… still painful but not acute. And it is different for everyone. But then some say women are better at tolerating pain, but pain is very subjective so I am not sure how accurate that is. I’d say the tattoo was like a three or a four on a scale of ten for me.”</p><p>“And what is a ten like for you?” Satan was genuinely interested. Human souls were tortured in the depths of hell, but that torture lacked body to it. The human body was still relatively an under-explored subject for him.</p><p>“Probably… when I broke my wrist… Well after it broke, waiting for surgery. It got swollen in the cast and I couldn’t escape the pain… It was excruciating and lasted all night. I think I lost all sense of time, but I think the human brain blocks the memory of pain for the sake of our sanity.” Luna tugged at the sleeve of her hoody and turned her wrist over to show Satan the surgical scar. She rolled her fingers around the scar and pressed lightly. “You can feel the screws and plate here” she offered for him to feel for himself.</p><p>Satan took her wrist in one hand and traced his fingers lightly over the scar tissue before pressing down a little harder and feeling the screws. His touch was gentle and soothing and he kept hold of her hand, running his thumb along the line of her scar.</p><p>“For Demons, it takes a great deal of trauma to leave such a mark…” He lifted his eyes to Luna’s face and tilted his head to one side. He didn’t want to let go of her hand now that she had offered it to him.</p><p>“It aches when the atmospheric pressure changes” she added, trying to break the spell of his touch. Luna observed him closely, as much as Satan would hate to admit it, both he and Lucifer had much in common in the way that he and Lucifer carried themselves. Both did so with grace, though Satan’s movements were perhaps less fluid, and more calculated; whereas Lucifer moved with preternatural elegance.</p><p>“I wanted to know your perspective on the nature of pain…” Satan murmured.  “I’ve read about the human central nervous system, and how information is carried through the body to the brain; how pain can be overcome in some instances by sheer will-power, and how it can often manifest itself due to psychological factors.”</p><p>“I hate to disappoint you, Satan, but my educational background is in sociology, not neuroscience.” She attempted to reach for a cookie with her free hand, and her wrist slipped from Satan’s as she shifted to reach for one. Satan caught her finger tips and held them, watching as she nervously chewed.</p><p>“I want to know what pains you; to get at the root of suffering… your suffering.” He took her fingers and pressed his lips lightly to her scar.</p><p>“The other day… Asmo mentioned that the pacts allow you to sense my pain, to some degree?” Luna devoured the remaining portion of the oatmeal raisin cookie, trying to quell her nerves.</p><p>“We have gained an awareness of you, we know when you ache, and if we concentrate on it, we can almost feel it.” He made eye contact with her again, attempting to read her.</p><p>“Is it only my pain that you feel?” Luna looked at him with a concerned expression. “I am sorry if our pact is causing you to suffer. I don’t want that for any of you.”</p><p>Satan let her hand go as he saw the uncertainty flare up in her eyes. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Perhaps is it your resistance to invoking the pact that has led to some build-up; or it is related to proximity. I am not sure I’ve heard of many stories where the human who entered into a pact with a demon was somehow related to them… however distant that relation may be.” He thought a moment. “Either way, there is potential energy not being spent, and it may need to be discharged in some way…”</p><p>“In some way…?” Luna frowned and released his shoulder.</p><p>“With your permission, master” Satan cupped Luna’s face with his hand, running a thumb across her cheek.</p><p>“My permission for what exactly?” Luna felt her heart thud in her chest and he drew ever closer to her.</p><p>“Just a kiss, call it an experiment… for science.” Satan leaned forward, stopping a whisper’s distance from her lips and waited for a response.</p><p>Luna trembled against the pressure of his hand on her face and she felt a build-up of magic prickle against her skin. His breath smelled of sweet Darjeeling and cinnamon.</p><p>“Satan, I Luna grant you permission to kiss me.” Luna’s voice came in a whisper and she instinctively closed her eyes.</p><p>“With this kiss, I inaugurate our pact.” Satan whispered and pressed his lips to hers gently. It was unlike the way Mammon kissed; it was delicate and hesitant. She had not expected the Avatar of Wrath to be so gentle, but then she remembered how much he struggled against the realities of his own birth and it made some sense.</p><p>He pulled back without further intrusion and Luna felt something like static shock crack against her lips. She made a small sound of surprise and lifted her hand to her mouth to sooth the small pain.</p><p>“That didn’t happen when…” Luna thought back to the way Mammon had claimed her lips and lifted her onto his pool table before exams.</p><p>“When?” Satan looked back at her; his own fingers played at his lips. He had clearly felt it too.</p><p>“When Mammon and I kissed and he nearly got into my trousers on his pool table.” Luna pursed her lips, not entirely sure how much he had already been made aware of. She was vaguely aware of the fact that the brothers had their own chat group without her, but she wasn’t entirely sure how much they talked gossiped about her.</p><p>“His pool table? The demon has no tact or decency.” Satan’s wrath prickled across his shoulders and he began to look angry.</p><p>“Probably cleaner than the rest of his room.” Luna laughed trying to diffuse the situation with humour. This distracted him enough to consider her words and smile back at her.</p><p>“I suppose you’re right, but there’s no romance or finesse there.” He rolled his eyes and handed Luna her teacup back. He took up his own cup and pondered a moment. “Did he ask your permission to kiss you?”</p><p>“No, he didn’t; he kind of just went in… but should that matter… I mean from the whole magic perspective side of it?” Luna frowned and looked down into her cup of tea.</p><p>“Oh, it matters. Magic is a combination of raw power, intent, and ritual. Our pacts are agreements with our masters. Acting without rites and ritual will not yield the same result.”</p><p>Luna thought back. “I mean, it wasn’t as if I wasn’t into it… for the record. I just wasn’t so formal in granting him consent. It was pretty sudden really.”</p><p>“I can’t fault him for his desire for you; we are demon’s. Nor can I fault you for playing along, but I remind you that you can bring any one of us to our knees by invoking your pacts, should you need to.” Satan gently lifted Luna’s chin so that she was making eye contact with him again.</p><p>“Well, call me a human, but I don’t <i>like</i> forcing people to do things they don’t want to do…”</p><p>“Nor do I, but that is what seduction is for. To persuade others to do what their darkest desires tell them to do and coax them to your will.”</p><p>“And is that why you’ve planned this little tea party… to seduce me. I mean you’ve said it already, I guess I was just fooling myself into thinking we could have a pleasant chat.” Luna took Satan’s hand away from her face. She was beginning to feel insulted and uncomfortable.</p><p>“We’re all trying to, Luna. In our own ways.” Satan watched as Luna stood, putting some distance between them. “But, something tells me seduction is not the way to gain your favour.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s for the same reason Asmo’s power doesn’t work on me… I’d rather that people be explicit in what they want from me. They can always ask, and I can always say no.” She picked up her cup of tea from the tray and downed it, swallowing hard.</p><p>“Or perhaps you are spoiled for choice with us. You feel the need to make a decision… <i>who will be my favourite demon who I invite into my bed first</i>?” Satan laughed, knowingly. “Or is it that you don’t like being the centre of attention? We declared how special you are to us, and now you don’t know what to do with that information.”</p><p>Luna looked back at him over her shoulder and was about to speak when he came to stand behind her, slipping his arms around her middle.</p><p>“I saw how uncomfortable you were at Diavolo’s birthday party. Standing up in front of that crowd, and being so publicly adored…” Satan’s lips cheek pressed against the side of her face and he held her firmly.</p><p>“I… I don’t want to cause upset… I don’t want to be the cause of your arguments. It seems to me that you guys had enough familial trouble to contend with without me getting involved.” Luna’s voice indicated a sense of panic in her as her body tensed in Satan’s arms. Upon feeling her anxiety, Satan released her and placed a hand softly against her back.</p><p>“Oh to be sure, there is competition between us… but you shouldn’t worry about that, dear Luna. You are preoccupied with human mores… but you’re not dealing with humans here.”</p><p>Luna turned to face him; realising he was still very close, she took a step back. “I don’t think I follow…”</p><p>“You can choose whatever you desire in the darkest depths of your heart. Though I will give you a word of caution: Don’t play us against each other. That way would lead to your ruin without hope of escape.” Satan brushed a stray strand of hair away from Luna’s face and tucked it behind her ear.</p><p>“I don’t know how to navigate this… I’ve been with multiple partners before, but… you’re brothers…”</p><p>Luna looked horrified.</p><p> “I guess I can see how that would be an issue for a human,” He conceded.</p><p> “Are you telling me that this situation isn’t unique… that you’ve shared partners before?”</p><p> “I wouldn’t say all six of us have, but Mammon and Asmo have dated the same succubae in the past.”</p><p> “And did they every fight about it?” Her worry grew with every subsequent answer Satan gave her. </p><p>“Once or twice…”</p><p>“Well then, that’s my mind made up… I refuse to be a point of contention between you. No one gets to be number one. You may have hierarchy between you, but as far as I am concerned, you’re all on equal footing.” Luna didn’t half believe herself, but she hoped that her message would be delivered. “You’re all my friends, and I care for all of you… equally.”</p><p>“That seems very logical, but is that what your heart tells you?”</p><p>Satan always seemed to get a good read of Luna, but it helped that she was a bad liar. He could tell that she was feeling conflicted, and knew that in the name of competition all of them would try to exploit it.</p><p>“What my heart wants isn’t important… Logic needs to rule here, I refuse to knowingly hurt any of you.” She shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose.</p><p>Satan’s expression softened and he sat back down. They were out of tea at this point, but he wasn’t ready to end their party.</p><p>“Why don’t we change the subject, I think you need to think on this without any pressure from us.”</p><p>Luna nodded and went to sit back down beside him. For the rest of the afternoon they talked about books and dramas, recommending titles to one another. Luna promised to try to get a hold of certain human-world books for Satan when she returned home, and even suggested they start a book club together so they could discuss the reading materials together. All-in-all she enjoyed her afternoon with Satan, though they tackled some difficult subjects, Luna knew that it was better for everyone’s expectations to be out in the open. It would be the only way she could manage another six months sharing a home with seven demons. It would be better to cut the tension she felt between herself and each of the seven Lords of Sin.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one was really tough. I haven't been able to talk-through writing for Satan with anyone, but I've tried to take queues from the game to write this scene. I felt if anyone would be the most logical to discuss human-demon sexual politics with, it would be Satan. </p><p>Update: The next chapters are going to be super fluffy, and feature a night out with Asmo and Mammon; followed by a chapter heavily featuring Beel with some Belphie in there. Chapter 5 will also tackle the Belphie issue from Chapter 15-16. It might take a bit more time, but I'll update the main post with any relevant updates. </p><p>I hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback and comments are much appreciated!</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Rhythm of the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luna goes on a 'double-date' with Asmo, Mammon and Solomon. Luna flirts with a Succubus. Glow-up fluff, sexual tension. Some minor angst. Added some Beel Fluff to make up for the chapter order swap.<br/>Some HC for creating scenery. </p><p>TW: Alcohol consumption/over-drinking. Scenes including vomiting.<br/>Content Warning: brief mention of animal sacrifice and witchcraft. Spoilers for Ch. 15 and 16.</p><p>Author's note: Please drink responsibly if you are of legal age to do so! Look after yourselves.</p>
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    <p>Luna was initially shocked when she first discovered that the Seven Lords of Sin had a chore rota.  She did find it odd that demon aristocrats did their own cleaning, but then she also figured that Lucifer had his reasons for putting his brothers to domestic work. As their house mate, she was included in the tasks. The house itself was massive, and she was sure that the demon brothers would employ some level of magic in cleaning the house. Luna, however had no magic at her disposal, so when she was tasked with something, it would take her the better part of a day. Cleaning was not something she was opposed to; and she always prided herself on maintaining a tidy apartment. The House of Lamentation was many times the size of her one-bedroom rental, however. So, to make the work more-bearable, Luna would lose herself in music, bopping about as she scrubbed, vacuumed and dusted the common areas. What she was most thankful for, was the fact that the brothers were individually responsible for their own spaces. She also was glad for the fact that cleaning the house from top to bottom was only her responsibility once a month, and a job she shared with Beel. He was one of the few brothers that did the job in earnest. They took the ‘divide and conquer’ approach, but Luna always offered to cover the kitchen to help Beel separate himself from the temptation of the refrigerator.</p><p>On this Friday morning, Luna suggested that they get a head-start to leave the weekend free for other activities. Given that they were on a break from RAD classes following mid-term exams, Luna had put her normal routines on hold; her Friday tennis sessions with Solomon would resume once classes did.</p><p>Luna prepared to get started cleaning kitchen, dressing in lounge shorts and a hoody that had already suffered from exposure to bleach-based cleaning products. She fired up her go-to playlist was a series of  80s songs; guilty pleasures that would help her complete her tasks. She kept the music to herself this time, not wanting to let the brothers know of her diabolically cheesy taste in music. As the music of The Pointer Sisters<sup>1</sup> thrummed through her headphones, Luna armed her self with gloves and cleaning products to give the kitchen a deep clean.</p><p>It took her the better part of an hour to clean all the surfaces and inside the refrigerator. The benefit of having someone like Beel be your house mates was that it was rare that any of the food expired. All she needed to do was wipe down the surfaces and put a dish of coffee grounds in the fridge to de-odorise it before placing all of the food items back inside.</p><p>Her final task was to mop the floor. Fortunately, most of the household was either off in their rooms or running various errands outside the house. It would be safe for her to mop the floor now. In preparation, Luna sent out a warning text, asking everyone to steer clear of the kitchen while the floor dried.</p><p>Mop in hand, she scrubbed at the floor, dancing around to DeBarge. It may have been the fumes of the cleaning products making her feel light-headed, but she started to sing along, using the mop as a sort-of dance partner as she worked her way across the room to the door, taking care not to slip on any damp patches:</p><p>
  <i>Look out on the street now, the party's just beginning<br/>
The music's playing, a celebration's starting<br/>
Under the street lights the scene is being set<br/>
A night for romance, a night you won't forget<br/>
So, come join the fun, this ain't no time to be staying home<br/>
Ooh, there's too much going on<br/>
Tonight is gonna be a night like you've never known<br/>
We're gonna have a good time the whole night long<br/>
To the beat of the rhythm of the night, dance until the morning light<br/>
Forget about the worries on your mind, you can leave them all behind<br/>
To the beat of the rhythm of the night<br/>
Oh, the rhythm of the night, oh yeah<sup>2</sup><br/>
</i>
</p><p>As she neared the door, her swinging hip landed against something solid and unexpected. Luna squeaked in shock and turned to see Asmo grinning at her. He spoke, but Luna couldn’t hear over the loud volume of her music. She took her headphones off quickly and asked Asmo to repeat himself.</p><p>“I said: you look like you’re having fun, but I’d make a better dance partner than that mop.” He winked at her and Luna laughed.</p><p>“That isn’t a very difficult bar to surpass.” She shook her head and side stepped around him into the hall. “If you needed the kitchen, you will have to wait for the floor to dry… I did send a group text,” she noted.</p><p>“That’s why I’m here… I came to invite you out tonight, Mammon and I are going out to the clubs with Solomon, and I thought we could double-date.”</p><p>“Double date… can we just call it a group activity… not a <i>date</i>?” Luna thought back to what she had said to Satan at their tea party, and she didn’t want to necessarily start a chain-reaction of each of the brothers complaining that they hadn’t been out with her; demanding that she start going on <i>dates</i>. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with them one-on-one; but calling their plans dates would add a level of expectation she was not prepared to deal with. Her experience dating humans lead her to the conclusion that she should avoid the sexual politics of dating. Every time she went out with a prospective love interest, she insisted that they split the cost evenly so as to eliminate the financial element that often lead to the expectation that she would invite them home with her. She was not sure if the same conventions were present in demonic dating etiquette, but she wanted to eliminate that factor if she could help it.</p><p>“Fine, if it will convince you to come out with us tonight, I won’t call it a date… out-loud.” Asmo’s expression turned devious.</p><p>“OK, I surrender,” Luna sighed. She knew Asmo wouldn’t stop asking until he got a yes from her. “What time should I be ready for?”</p><p>“Well, here’s the thing; I’m going to get you ready… so put away your mop water and meet me in my room so I can doll you up for the night.”</p><p>Luna frowned in response, imagining what kind of femme out fit he would attempt to squeeze her into.</p><p>“How long do you need exactly…” Luna checked the time on her DDD. “It’s only 11am.”</p><p>“I will take every second you give me, lovely Luna.” Asmo booped Luna on the nose and stuck his tongue out at her in an effort to tease her.</p><p>“Well I need to finish my chores, then I’ll meet you after lunch.”</p><p>Luna was resigned to whatever plans Asmo intended for their evening. As she finished her chores, she admitted to herself that she was long-over due for a night out. Other than the occasional house-hold events and official functions at the Castle, Luna had yet to experience Devildom nightlife without feeling like she was under the watchful eyes of Lucifer. Perhaps, just this once, she could let her hair down. Luna enjoyed dancing and nightlife, but tended to favour the kind of places that hosted live music and where her feet would stick to the carpet because it was sugar-logged with evaporated alcohol.</p><p>After she finished her work, she went to find Beel, who was in the library with a feather duster. He seemed to brighten up as she entered the room and he stopped his work.</p><p>“Luna… would you help me? I can’t reach some spots.” He asked, handing her the feather-duster. Luna nodded in response.</p><p>“I’m not sure—"</p><p>Before she could finish her sentence, Luna was being lifted onto Beel’s shoulders to reach the cobwebs on the chandelier. She made a small cry of protest, but tensed her abs to keep her balance.</p><p>“Now we can reach!” Beel said triumphantly. Luna could feel her face grow hot as she felt Beel’s cheeks brush against her inner thighs. Luna’s shorts had ridden up and she felt very exposed.</p><p>Carefully, she reached up and swizzled the feather duster to catch all the dust and webbing. She wasn’t sure when the last time the nooks and crannies of the library had been seen to, but it was long over-due.</p><p>“Might as well get the painting above the mantel while I’m up here” She suggested.</p><p>Beel moved with ease and provided a stable-base for Luna to reach up and dust. Luna tried her best to avoid inhaling the dust but launched into a sneezing fit, forcing her to brace herself with the top of Beel’s head; her fingers threaded through his ginger hair. Beel responded by tightening his grip on her legs to prevent her from slipping.</p><p>Belphie, who had been sleeping in the corner was roused by the commotion and assessed the scene in front of him.</p><p>“I guess that’s one way to get between her legs, Beel” He made his lazy voice loud enough to carry across the room through the open secret door to Lucifer’s study.</p><p>“Shut-up please, Belphegor!” Luna snapped; she was frustrated by her sneezing and Belphie’s snide commentary only made it worse. The younger twin still put her off. Mostly for Beel’s sake, she had been trying to move past the fact that he had essentially murdered her. Her relationship with Belphie was still a big problem for her, and she tried the best she could to avoid being alone with him for very long. Though having a pact with him made her feel more secure, she was still afraid of being put in a position where she would have to use it.</p><p>Beel and Belphie seemed to be the polar opposite of one another. Beel’s approach with her had always been so reserved and held no ulterior motive; the time she shared her pasta with him in the kitchen had been the most forward he had been with her. Belphie, on the other hand, always seemed to be scheming to convince her to ‘nap’ with him, or he would find an excuse to drape himself over her in a possessive manner. This only added to her feelings of alienation.</p><p>“What is going on here?” Lucifer appeared at the door to his study. He had been ready to close the door to shut-out the noise, but halted upon seeing Luna perched on Beel’s shoulders, still holding onto his head.</p><p>“Cleaning” Beel and Luna said it in unison, both red in the face from Belphie’s insinuation.</p><p>“Get a ladder next time” Lucifer’s tone was short and he quickly shut the door.</p><p>Luna rolled her eyes, and repeated what he said in a mocking tone. It was immature, but she was still ticked-off with him. She was sure Lucifer would add this to the list of things to chastise her about at their pending meeting.</p><p>“All done?” Beel asked, he sounded nervous and very ready to get Luna down from his shoulders before anyone else saw them.</p><p>She heard the sound of Belphie taking a picture on his DDD and looked over as he began to text. Her own DDD went off after he hit send and she dreaded what the message would say.</p><p>Beel carefully crouched down, allowing Luna to climb off his shoulders before she went to check what Belphie had sent. Below the image he took, Belphie provided a caption: <i>“Who had money on Beel being the first to get between Luna’s thighs?”</i></p><p>“What the actual fuck, Belphie…” Her face went even redder, if that was possible, and she stormed out of the room. “Your such a little shit…” she called over her shoulder. She could hear Belphie laughing at his own joke and being mildly scolded by Beel.</p><p>Luna was seething. Satan said that there was a sense of competition between them, but she didn’t dream of the level of goading that would probably be happening in their brothers’ chat group over this.</p><p>Her DDD was going crazy with notifications, and she growled under her breath before opening up the group chat. She read through the messages, all making various statements of objection or jealousy; she thought of retorting, but Lucifer responded with <i>“Delete that image”</i> before she could. She sighed and thought better of dignifying Belphie’s shit-stirring behaviour with a response.</p><p>---</p><p>Luna took a few hours to cool off before she went to see Asmo. She showered first; Luna was sure he would expect her to hop in his bath before subjecting her to a barrage of beauty treatments, and she wanted to be able to claim she was freshly clean. When she arrive, Asmo walked her through the beauty routine they would follow, involving make-up, hair, and wardrobe.</p><p>Luna had to admit that Asmo’s brand of pampering made her skin look fresher. She wasn’t completely sure that the products he used were free from magical substance, but she thought better than to ask. Asmo spun her around to examine her face and ran his finger through her hair. It had once been dyed a deep purple colour, but over the months, it had faded out to a greyed-out lavender colour. It had also grown out to a length that she wasn’t particularly in-favour of, but she was too nervous to attempt to have anything done about it.</p><p>“I have an idea for your hair, but you will have to trust me. I promise the colour will only last the night, so if you hate it, then you won’t have to look at it for much longer.” Asmo was really in his element, and Luna could tell he was enjoying playing around with her aesthetic.</p><p>“I will take your direction maestro.” Luna nodded and gave him a light smile. Asmo readied the area around his vanity and draped a towel around Luna to prevent any dye from getting on her clothes. He had once tried to convince her to dye her hair at a salon, but she balked when she saw how much it would cost. After a few hours her hair was a deep-red-plum colour; not too dissimilar to how she had it before. “See how the warmth of the reds in the purple really catch your eyes?” He was pleased with himself. He paused then to tidy up the under-cut of her hair with a small pair of clippers and tied most of her longer hair back into a bun. From a bag on the floor, he produced a curling wand and put loose curls into the hair framing her face.</p><p>“Now… I have something for you to put on hanging in the bathroom, go try it on and come out… Before you complain, just try it on,” He pleaded.</p><p>Luna sighed and did so, spotting a black dress she rolled her eyes.</p><p>His voice rang through into the bathroom informing her that there were undergarments for her as well. “No sports bras!” he cautioned.</p><p>“Why not?! If we’re going dancing, then sports bras are perfect…”</p><p>“Un-ac-cep-ta-ble!” He sang, enunciating each syllable of the word.</p><p>Luna dug through a bag and found lacy purple lingerie in the bag. She was about to question how he could possibly know her size, and thought better of it. She didn’t want to know, but could guess it involved Mammon sneaking into her underwear drawer when she wasn’t looking. It was the kind of underwear made for people to see, and this made her suspicious of Asmo’s motivations. None-the-less, she played along and dressed up.</p><p>To Asmo’s credit, the dress wasn’t terrible: the button-down cotton shirt-dress was fairly tame, buttoning up to her neck with a lace panel at the collar. The sleeves were long and puffed out subtly, coming back together at her wrists. The length was shorter than she would have chosen for herself, but Asmo had provided her with a pair of safety shorts to go over the fishnet stockings. She looked at herself in the mirror a moment assessing her figure. The dress was well fitted, showing off more of her curves than she had chosen to reveal since she arrived at RAD. Her chest, which was deceptively ample was accentuated by the bra; there was a good reason why she opted for sports bras most of the time. The effect over-all effect of the dress and was a combination of demure and racy; still leaving something to the imagination, while accentuating her curvaceous figure.</p><p>Luna cautiously moved back into Asmo’s bedroom and watched as he was seeing to his own aesthetic needs.</p><p>“Oh Luna… I must congratulate myself… That fits you very well. A perfect blend of masculine and femme.”</p><p>“What about shoes?” Luna was nervously expecting Asmo to produce a pair of heels, but she was pleasantly surprised when he told her to wear her black combat boots to round off the look.</p><p>He soon resumed work, applying make-up and putting the finishing touches on her outfit with a dark-purple velvet blazer and an antique powder-blue bow. He had asked her to bring up her small collection of accessories and he chose the jewelry for her to wear. The midnight stone brooch Lucifer gave her was attached to the bow at her neck, and Luna blushed slightly. It was perhaps the most expensive piece of jewelry she owned. She avoided wearing it for fear of losing it. </p><p>Luna was thankful for the over-all subtle approach Asmo took when putting her look together for the evening, but the fact she was wearing a dress was putting her just outside her comfort-zone. When he was satisfied, he told her to take a look at herself in the mirror. The smoky eyeshadow and eyeliner made her hazel eye brighter, without overwhelming her face.</p><p>“OK, Asmo… I’ll admit I do look good.” She gave him a smile of approval. Her DDD alarm went off, signalling that it was time for the evening meal.</p><p>Quickly, Luna rushed through the house to collect her shoes so she was ready to go directly after the Dinner. She was aware that both she and Asmo were running late, and she hurriedly put her shoes on. She caught herself in the mirror again and hardly recognised herself. It was still her, but it looked like a refined version of herself. She swallowed her nerves and made her way into the dining room.</p><p>She tried to make a subtle entrance, but quickly found Mammon and Lucifer staring at her. The conversations they were having dropped off, and the brothers who were facing away from her turned to see what their older brothers were staring at.</p><p>Luna had never worn a dress in front of them, or even attempted to dip her toe towards the femme-end of the fashion pool while she was in the Devildom. In the past she had worn Women’s tuxedos and suits to any formal occasion.</p><p>“Sorry I’m late…” She managed softly, taking her seat next to Mammon.</p><p>“Am I missing something… Are you going somewhere?” Lucifer’s eyes fastened on her as he prepared to launch into an interrogation.</p><p>“Oh, Sorry Lucifer, Mammon and I are taking Luna out tonight with Solomon for a <i>group outing</i>.” Asmo had made his own grand entrance, wearing a powder-pink suit with embroidered flowers and unbuttoned cream-coloured shirt. “Though, Mammon better change if he think he’s getting into the club dressed like <i>that</i>.” Asmo sneered and looked Mammon up and down. Asmo took a seat next to Luna, placing a hand on her shoulder. before starting to eat his meal.</p><p>“I didn’t approve this…” Lucifer had pulled his eyes away from Luna and fixed them on Asmo.</p><p>“I didn’t think you needed to… Mammon and I will both be there and we’re only going to The Fall… it’s very safe, no riff-raff.” Asmo looked down the table at his brother and made puppy-dog eyes at him. “Plus, we need to make sure we show our human exchange students a good time, right? It can’t be all studying and business.”</p><p>“I’ll allow it… but you will have to be home by midnight.” Lucifer took a sip from his glass.</p><p>“Tch… So early? Hardly worth the effort…” Mammon grumbled to himself and glanced over at Luna, resting his head in his hand.</p><p>“It’s fine… Midnight is fine.” Luna elbowed Mammon to get him to stop talking.</p><p>“Next time, Asmo, I want you to tell me well in advance before you plan an evening out… weather or not you’re <i>only going to The Fall</i>…”</p><p>Luna pursed her lips. She was growing tired of being treated like a child. On earth, she was perfectly capable of looking after herself on a night out; in the Devildom, she always had a chaperone. She was missing her independence. Her resolve to have a great night was strengthened by Lucifer’s restrictions.</p><p>Dinner carried on in awkward silence, and as soon as Luna was finished eating, she excused herself and cleared her plate from the table. She wanted to avoid the stares as much as possible.</p><p>---</p><p>“Doesn’t she look great?” Asmo cooed to no one in particular. He was fishing for compliments on a job well done.</p><p>“You turned her into a normie…” Levi muttered, looking down at his plate.</p><p>“Oh you’re just jealous because you know she looks cute, and want to dance with her; but your too much of an otaku to leave the house and take her on a proper date.” Asmo was beginning to take offence at the relative silence that fell over the table.</p><p>“A <i>date</i>?” Satan looked up from his book, his eyes narrowed and he glanced between Asmo and Mammon. “Who is taking Luna on a date?”</p><p>“Sorry, I mean <i>group activity</i>. Luna refused to go out if we called it a date.” Asmo giggled and finished off the rest of the drink in front of him.</p><p>“I thought ya said she was <i>my</i> date… not that it matters now…” Mammon muttered to himself.</p><p>“No, I said we should double-date with Solomon and Luna. I didn’t say who would be paired with whom... or that we were pairing-off at all.” Asmo smirked and prodded Mammon’s arm. “You need to get ready anyway… Solomon is going to meet us here, then we’re going out together, so get to it, or we’ll leave without you.”</p><p>---</p><p>As she waited for Solomon to turn up, Luna sat on her bed playing with the Apps on her DDD. She was left to her own devices for about an hour before there was a knock on her door. Luna hopped up, and opened her door to Solomon flanked by Asmo and Mammon.</p><p>“Hello tennis partner!” Solomon’s smooth voice. He was dressed in a dark grey suit and black dress shirt, which complimented his complexion.</p><p>“It’s good to see you!” Luna smiled and they went in for a European greeting of touching their cheeks together to say hello. She had mixed feeling about her fellow-human, but they were always cordial with one another and she felt like they needed to stick together in a world filled with demons. It behoved her to make an ally of the powerful sorcerer with 72 demon-pacts to his name.</p><p>“So… pre-game in the kitchen?” Luna suggested, throwing up both of her hands in a shrug.</p><p>“What’s a pre-game?” Mammon asked, moving past Solomon into her room. Mammon was dressed in a sleek-black suit with gold pyramids studding his lapels. Luna was jealous of their suits, and was regretting the dress. She would have liked to wear a suit of her own, but she banished the thought, reminding herself that she had agreed to go-along with Asmo’s plans.</p><p>Luna turned to her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer, producing a bottle of cinnamon flavoured whisky from under a pile of socks. She had been stashing it away for a rainy day ever since their brief trip to the human realm to try and fix the Lucifer-Satan body-swap issue.</p><p>“You drink at home before going out to save on the money you spend at the bar. Normally I’d recommend tequila to kick the night off, but I prefer whisky to tequila anyway.” She handed the bottle over to Mammon so he could inspect it.</p><p>“And human’s do this a lot?” Asmo asked, draping his arms around Solomon’s shoulders.</p><p>“Some do, when we don’t have much to blow on a night out. It just makes sense to get a buzz going before you leave. The real trick is smuggling a flask in if you can manage it” Luna grabbed up her purse and beamed at them. She slightly resented having to carry a bag and missed the opportunity to have pockets.</p><p>The four of them made their way to the kitchen and Luna searched for shot glasses in the cupboard, but all she could find were wine glasses. She arranged four of them on the wooded table in the centre of the room and poured about two shots worth of the whiskey into each glass. It was cheap stuff, but it was nice.</p><p>She passed them around and held her own glass aloft. “Alright boys, let’s get legless.” She smirked as their glasses clinked. She and Solomon both downed the drink in a single gulp as Mammon and Asmo watched them to learn about the drinking etiquette for the beverage.</p><p>Luna let out a happy sigh as the cinnamon and whiskey burned pleasantly at the back of her throat. Her three friends seemed happy enough with the drink, avoiding any complaint.</p><p>“The car should be here soon,” Asmo noted, looking at the time on his DDD.</p><p>“Do we have time for another?” Mammon asked, eyeing the bottle. Luna distributed another ‘double’ into their glasses and knocked her own glass back quickly. She began to feel the effects of the first shot as stashed the bottle away into the cupboard. She was sure that her tolerance would be terrible, as she had avoided alcohol for six months. Keeping her wits about her was something she viewed as vital given her current living arrangements, but tonight she was willing to abandon her self-imposed restrictions in the name of having fun.</p><p>The trip to The Fall was not very long, and Luna was sure they could have walked to the club, but Asmo insisted it was all part of the experience. The club itself catered to the rich and famous demons of the Devildom; it was highly exclusive, and not the type of club Luna would frequent back home.</p><p>When they arrived, they didn’t have to wait in line, given the prestige that Asmo and Mammon carried as Lords of Sin. As they passed the queue of people waiting to get in, Luna felt a little bit embarrassed. One or two incubi and succubae threw shady looks at both her and Solomon as they passed, following their VIP hosts into the club.</p><p>The music closely resembled jazz and swing music, and not what Luna would have chosen for a night out, but she didn’t want to complain too much. They were ‘fashionably late’ according to Asmo, but Luna wasn’t convinced when she saw how thin the crowd was.</p><p>“I don’t see many people here…” she said looking around as she handed over her blazer to the cloak room attendant. She didn’t recognise any of the music playing, and assumed that human music didn’t regularly make its way into the Devildom.</p><p>“That’s because it is an exclusive evening, only the best of the best are here tonight…” Asmo looked pleased with himself given the exclusivity of the night’s events.</p><p>Luna shrugged and scanned the room, her eyes settling on the dance floor.</p><p>“Dance with me, Luna?” Mammon’s voice pressed against her ear and he slipped an arm through hers to guide her to the dance floor. He had to seize the opportunity while he could. He had missed out on two occasions to dance with her already thanks to Lucifer and Solomon.</p><p>Luna looked a bit perturbed at Mammon’s insistence, but gave in. The alcohol in her bloodstream had relaxed her, and she was keen to enjoy herself; Lucifer be damned. The song playing was up-beat, and Luna quickly got into the swing of dancing.  She was sure she looked foolish, but she didn’t really mind it. At one point, Mammon took her hand and spun her around, pulling her closer as her head spun. She felt heat spread across her as Mammon’s hand braced against the small of her back and he started to lead her around the dance floor. It seemed here that the appropriate method for dancing was more of a ball-room configuration rather than a throng of writing bodies. Luna looked around and noted that many of the other patrons had partnered up to dance as well, and she spotted Asmo leading Solomon around the dance floor.</p><p>Luna was good enough at a two-step, but lacked any grace in her dancing. This didn’t stop Mammon from dancing through three songs with her before Asmo cut-in.</p><p>“Would you like to lead, or shall I?” Asmo asked, giving her a wide smile.</p><p>“Better if you do, I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing…I opted to skip cotillion” she said sarcastically. Asmo took up the lead, pulling her in close and guiding her firmly but gently. “Are you having fun?” he asked, noting the semi-bored look on her face.</p><p>“When you said we were going out to the club, I was expecting more… well more people, louder music… maybe some heavy metal or drum and base… This feels a bit tame; don’t you think?” Luna had to lean in to speak to him so none of the other patrons could hear. “It’s very swanky, but… is there someplace a bit more… I dunno <i>common</i>” Luna glanced around the room, noting the caliber of the other club goers. They were all dressed in designer clothing and looked like they belonged to some kind of country club.</p><p>“Well… Fridays tend to be like this. During the week is a bit more or a mixed crowd, but I take your point.”</p><p>“Isn’t there <i>another</i> place we could try?” Luna’s liquid courage was still flowing through her, and she hoped Asmo would lead them somewhere more exciting. She batted her eyelashes at him and tried her best to flirt. “Someplace a bit rowdier than this?”</p><p>“I don’t know Luna,” Asmo began to look nervous. “I promised Lucifer this was the only place we’d be.”</p><p>“Please Asmo… you want the night to be fun right? I want to feel music thrumming through me… not a gentle tickle.” Luna winked at him.</p><p>“Alright… I suppose we could go to Styxx, it’s a step-down from The Fall, but not quite a dive.”</p><p>“Excellent!” Luna wraped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. “I promise to stay in sight of you, Mammon, or Solomon at all times.”</p><p>Luna let him go and practically skipped over to the coat check to collect their things while Asmo explained the situation to Solomon and Mammon.</p><p>---</p><p>Styxx was indeed as Asmo described it, but Luna didn’t care that the floor was slightly sticky or that the music was cacophonous. The drinks were cheaper and the music was better for losing yourself in.</p><p>When they arrived, Luna bought the first round of drinks, but asked Asmo for guidance. Various brands of cheap Demonus made up a majority of the drinks on offer, but Luna opted for a hard apple cider once Asmo inquired about how it was made, and that it was safe enough for her to drink.</p><p>The area around the bar was the quietest section of the club, allowing for patrons to order their drinks without having to should over the loud music. Though she was surrounded by demons, Luna instantly felt a bit more comfortable. Things were less shiny and polished here, and were more on the grungy side. The interior architecture reminded her of catacombs and old gothic cathedrals.</p><p>“I’d say this is more like it!” She beamed, setting her drink down on the bar table where Mammon and Solomon waited for them to arrive with their drinks.</p><p>“It seems to suit your tastes better, Luna. I’m glad you suggested we come here.” Solomon gave her a devious smile. “Then you can see how the rest of the Devildom party. I think they also have live music sometimes. Perhaps I can take you.”</p><p>“That would be fun! It feels like I haven’t been to a proper gig in an eternity.” Luna was happily riding the lull of her alcohol buzz and forgot for a moment that Lucifer would never knowingly let her come out to place like this with only Solomon.</p><p>“I take it you’re a music fan?” Solomon’s grey eyes twinkled for a moment.</p><p>“You should hear the things she listens to, Solomon. I would have thought she was a witch if the only information ya gave me about her was her MP3 player.” Mammon rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Hey… I didn’t know the Devildom was <i>a thing</i> until I got here… does it make you jealous that I was jamming our to songs calling on Lucifer and Satan before I met you?” Luna stuck her tongue out at Mammon.</p><p>“Well now ya can’t sing those songs, now that ya have a pact with us… ya might end up summoning us without really meaning to.” Mammon prodded her side playfully, and Luna squeaked softly in response. Mammon’s expression darkened with a grin, having gained the knowledge that she was ticklish. Luna swatted Mammon’s hand and took a sip of her cider.</p><p>“Even if I don’t mean it? They’re just songs… I didn’t write them.” She shooed away Mammon’s comments from the air with her hand. “Wouldn’t I have to sacrifice a goat or something anyway?” Luna gave him a skeptical look.</p><p>“Luna… that’s not very becoming, don’t you dare summon me with a dead goat!” Asmo looked insulted and Luna nearly spat out a mouthful of her drink from laughter.</p><p>“Ok, Asmo… I’ll sacrifice a potted plant if I summon you to my flat.” Luna winked at him.</p><p>“You wouldn’t necessarily need to sacrifice anything but a drop of blood if you are strong enough and already have a pact formed.” Solomon smiled at her from across the table.</p><p>“Even like… into the human realm?” She was surprised.</p><p>Solomon nodded.</p><p>“Duly noted… I will not be singing anything by Electric Wizard or Ghost anytime soon… unless I actually want to summon someone, then it might be fun to sing a song.” Luna took a big swig of her cider; she didn’t fully understand it, but silently admitted to herself that she was no expert on the subject.</p><p>From the next room, she recognised a riff rising through and she got excited. “Oh… I have to go dance. I love this one.” Luna quickly downed the rest of her pint and set it down too quickly to be gentle.</p><p>She grabbed Mammon’s hand and he allowed her to lead him into the next room.</p><p>Asmo sighed and turned to Solomon. “She’s going to get us in so much trouble.”</p><p>Solomon only laughed. “She’s just having fun, it’s mostly harmless. Let’s just make sure her next drink is a glass of water.”</p><p>Once in the next room, Luna dropped Mammon’s hand and turned to face him. She started to dance, twisting her shoulders and swaying her hips to the music:</p><p>
  <i>I lie still as the water<br/>
But my visions are broken<br/>
Head caught in the tide as<br/>
Cruel as the ocean<br/>
Dreams are made in the distance<br/>
I will not be among them<br/>
The silence is killing me<br/>
And I can hardly touch the ground<br/>
</i>
</p><p><i>I am deep in a river<br/>
Waves above my head<br/>
Held with no spirit<br/>
We descend<br/>
We reach the end<sup>3</sup><br/>
</i>
</p><p>She raised her arms up and swayed through the music, Mammon drew closer only just touching her side. Luna closed her eyes and lost herself to the rhythms: the base beats thrummed through her, mixing with the alcohol in her blood stream and sending euphoria through her body. She reached up and let the part of her hair that was pinned up down, shaking out her hair as the heavy beat built up. <i>This</i> was a night out she could get behind. The space in the dance room was tight as the throng of demons swayed to the music. Luna opened her eyes and smiled at Mammon as he drew closer to her protectively. It would be more difficult to keep tabs on her if he let her move organically to the music. He worried about losing her in the crowd.</p><p>After a few tracks, Asmo and Solomon found them, and they did their best to stick close together, dancing as a group of four.  Over time, a few of Asmo’s admirers recognised him and offered to buy him drinks in an attempt to spend some face time with him. Asmo, ever the attention seeker was drawn away, leaving the group. Luna, who had been avoiding using the toilets for as long as possible excused herself at the same time, following behind Asmo’s newly formed posse.</p><p>“Meet at the bar in a bit?” she shouted over the music close to Solomon’s ear, before turning to repeat the question to Mammon. They both nodded and continued to dance through the song.</p><p>The crowd has swelled over time, making it difficult to navigate out of the room. Finally she did, but she lost track of Asmo. Naïvely, she shrugged it off and made her way to the mixed gender toilets. She smiled to herself and thought it silly that a club in hell could figure out the bathroom dilemma, when a majority of places on earth were hotly debating it about it.</p><p>When she finished her business, she returned to the bar, hoping to find Asmo there, but he was no where in sight. She sighed and decided to stay put, figuring one of them would come find her soon enough.</p><p>“Luna?” A smooth, deep feminine voice called her from the bar.</p><p>She turned to the direction of the bar and saw a tall, lythe succubus leaning with their back against the bar, her white eyes fixed on Luna. She was beautiful with a long messy braid pulled to one side of her head. her loose, backless blouse draped over a small bosom, and belted at the waist to form a tunic over a par of tight black leather trousers. Luna couldn’t tell if she was attracted to her, or wanted to be her in that moment; she was absolutely stunning.</p><p>“It’s Nimueh… from your Infernal language class… and we played Field Hockey together that one time… Proserpina really did a number on you…” The succubus smirked at her.</p><p>“Oh… Hello!” Luna blushed “Yes… Nimueh, I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you out of uniform.”</p><p>The succubus laughed, baring her pointed teeth and gesturing Luna to come closer. “That’s alright, I didn’t recognise you either, until I caught your human scent… not many living humans come here.”</p><p>Luna moved closer and stood next to Nimueh, but kept an acceptable distance between them. “What are you drinking?” Luna asked, reaching for her bag to get some Grimm out to pay.</p><p>“Absinthe Demonus.”</p><p>“Is that any good?” Luna asked, looking over the cocktail menu. She knew that the hallucinogenic properties of Absinthe were exaggerated, but wasn’t sure if the combination of Demonus and Absinthe would taste nice.</p><p>“Should be safe for you to try. It’s pretty potent though.” Nimueh was grinning at her with a lidded gaze.</p><p>“I like a stiff drink now and again.” Luna winked, feeling flirty. It had been the first time she would have the opportunity to speak to a Demon outside of the aristocratic circle. Luna ordered a double for both of them, and they moved from the bar to sit together. In one of the booths.</p><p>“You usually have Lord Mammon with you,” Nimueh noted. “Or one of the others. I’m surprised they let you out on your own.”</p><p>“Oh, Mammon and Asmodeus are around somewhere, as well as Solomon… we started out by going to The Fall, but it was too stuffy for me.” Luna lifted the drink to her lips and took a small sip of the anise-flavoured green liquid.</p><p>“I see.” Nimueh took a sip of her own beverage, but finished about half of it in one swig.</p><p>They continued to chat with one another, taking turns paying for rounds. Luna felt drawn to Nimueh as the night went on, flirting with her in spite of herself. She found Nimueh’s femme energy inviting and a welcome change from the testosterone-laden House of Lamentation. They lost all sense of time as they spoke to one another about the politics of the Devildom, and about how the rest of the demon population lived. Luna revealed that she was a socialist, and often felt out of place being placed among the upper echelon.</p><p>“It’s really not how I live my life back home… Heck, I chose to live in a squat for 9 months in protest of all the empty buildings that could be used to create affordable housing.” Luna laughed at the irony of the whole situation.</p><p>“And you’re not tempted by promises of wealth or fame?” Nimueh smirked, taking Luna’s hand and running her thumb across her knuckles. “What about <i>physical</i> temptations?”</p><p>Luna finished off her drink to stall for time.</p><p>“I’m sorry to distract you Luna, but I’m not sure when I’ll next be able to get you alone. You’re always guarded.” Luna wasn’t sure if it was the booze, or Nimueh’s eyes, but she found herself leaning toward her.</p><p>“Oy! Luna!... we’ve been looking everywhere for you…” Mammon slapped his hand against the table, snapping Luna out of her trance. Solomon and Asmo were just behind him.</p><p>Quickly, Luna snatched her hand away and shifted back from Nimueh.</p><p>“Hello Nimueh…” Asmo spoke in a haughty tone, his judgmental eyes surveyed the empty glasses on their table. “You’re not trying to seduce <i>our</i> human are you?”</p><p>“You may have pacts with her, but that doesn’t make her <i>yours</i>… unless that was part of the deal.” Nimueh glanced over to Luna with a questioning expression.</p><p>Luna shook her head. “I didn’t give them ownership.”</p><p>Nimueh placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder and stood. “Well then, the door is still open for me…” She picked up Luna’s DDD and programmed their number into it. “I can only hope to catch you alone in the future, Luna. See you at RAD; we can continue our chat over lunch some time.” She sauntered away, waving in a suggestive manner to Asmo.</p><p>“She is <i>so</i> fit!” Luna mused, leaning into her hand dreamily, not realising she had spoken out loud.</p><p>“Tch… Figures Nimueh would move in… You can’t fraternise with a succubus, Luna!” Mammon sneered, his eyes following Nimueh’s path into the next room.</p><p>“Hey… you can’t say that… you fraternise with them all the time!” Luna was insulted by the double standard.</p><p>“Yeah… I’m <i>not</i> a human.” Mammon rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand. “Common, we’re late getting you home, Cinderella…”</p><p>Luna looked down at her DDD and saw that it had been an hour past when they said they were going to be home for. She could only laugh, seeing the number of missed calls and texts from Lucifer.</p><p>“Ohooo, we’re in trouble.” Luna was still high on booze and was feeling punchy. She stood up a little too quickly and half stumbled out of the booth into Mammon’s arms. “You’re just jealous that I was about to pull.” She blurted out. Mammon growled under his breath, but let it go, recognising the alcoholic haze in her eyes.</p><p>Luna allowed herself to be supported as they left the club, and piled into a waiting car. She was too drunk to see how upset Asmo was, or that Solomon was comforting him, telling Asmo that everything would be alright.</p><p>“Yeah… we’re on our way back now. She’s fine. Understood.” Mammon was on the phone with Lucifer, his usual bravado was missing from his tone.</p><p>“It’s my fault…” Luna murmured, finally catching on to Asmo’s mood and awkwardly patting his knee through her drunken stupor. Perhaps there was a delayed effect from her last drinks, but she felt she was getting more intoxicated by the minute.</p><p>The car dropped off three of them at the House of Lamentation, and carried on to take Solomon to Purgatory Hall.</p><p>“Make sure she gets a pint of water and that she eats something before you let her get into bed. She might vomit, but she will feel better for it. Call me if you need any help tomorrow.” Solomon gave Asmo’s hand a gentle squeeze before letting him go and rolling up the car window.</p><p>At this point, Mammon had to hoist Luna over his shoulder and carry her up the steps, given that she had truly lost her ability to walk properly. Asmo held the door open for Mammon and shushed Luna who began to sing rather badly:</p><p>
  <i>The jig is up, the news is out<br/>
They finally found me<br/>
The renegade who had it made<br/>
Retrieved for a bounty<br/>
Nevermore to go astray<br/>
This'll be the end today<br/>
Of the wanted man<sup>4</sup><br/>
</i>
</p><p>“Luna, ya need to be quiet…” He set her down inside the foyer and looked her over. She was quite far-gone at this point.</p><p>“Or what… will Lucifer be mad?” Luna sputtered with laughter. “He thinks he is <i>so scary.</i>” she skipped backwards half a step and landed flat on her bum, her legs akimbo and bent at the knee. She let out a roar of laughter at her own klutzy action. “Oh… LUCI WE’RE HOME” she covered her face as she cracked up over her own terrible impression of Ricky Ricardo. Sober Luna would appreciate the fact that they may not get the reference, but drunk Luna thought the opportunity was too good to pass up.</p><p>“I can see that.” Lucifer’s deep voice echoed over the front room, and Asmo and Mammon recoiled slightly.</p><p>Luna looked up at him at the top of the stairs with a stupid grin on her face. “I know you’re mad,” She started, slowly getting to her hands and knees before attempting to get to her feet. It was clear she was dizzy. “But it was my fault… I went to take a leak and lost track of the guys… <i>my fault</i>…. BUT! I did what any lost child would do at an amusement park… found an adult and waited in place…”</p><p>“Did you even think to text them?” Lucifer was at the foot of the stairs at this point, glaring at her with a haughty expression.</p><p>“I got distracted… and made a new friend… or got acquainted with a classmate… I got pissed with someone from the field hockey team…” Luna swatted at the air, and gestured profusely with her hands.</p><p>“Mammon, Asmo… I will deal with you in the morning. Go to bed.” Both of them nodded and shuffled off.</p><p>Luna giggled uncontrollably as Lucifer’s eyes pierced through her. She tried to stop, but couldn’t.</p><p>“That’s quite enough… I clearly can’t trust you to look after yourself… you’re staying in my room tonight.” Lucifer looked at her wobbly posture, and hooked an arm around her waist, leading her up the stairs to his bedroom.</p><p>“Is this a punishment or a kindness…” she teased.</p><p>“I’ll consider your punishment once you’ve been able to explain yourself while sober. Consider this a stay of execution.” He glared down at her, sure she would not behave so brazenly with her wits about her. He had to be sure she hadn’t poisoned herself with drink before he determined what the appropriate penance would be.</p><p>Once inside his large room, a wave of nausea hit Luna, and she pushed herself away from Lucifer and scurried into his bathroom. She made it just in time to hug the toilet bowl and throw up.</p><p>Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose at the horrific sounds she made in the next room, and he opened his DDD to ask Mammon and Asmo to bring him a change of clothes for Luna and water to his room.</p><p>Lucifer begrudgingly took care of Luna, finding her sitting on the floor and retching over the toilet. He crouched down and pulled her hair back out of her face.</p><p>“Best to get it all out now, because you’re not allowed to throw up in my bed.” He tried not to laugh at her, but he found her very human reaction to over-indulgence amusing.</p><p>Luna groaned, her pain echoing into the porcelain bowl. “I think I’m dying…” she exaggerated.</p><p>“You’re not dead yet, Luna…”</p><p>She lifted her head and looked up at him pouting. She looked positively pathetic and not her usual stubborn self.</p><p>“Are you finished?” Lucifer questioned. Standing to look down at her. Luna raised a single finger, and threw up again as a knock rapped against Lucifer’s door. He went to answer it and saw Asmo and Mammon looking sheepish as they held out a tray and a pile of her clothes out in front of them. Lucifer let them in and took the glass of water from the silver tray. Asmo had also made some dry toast for Luna to eat.</p><p>“Solomon suggested she should eat something…” He explained. Sounds of Luna vomiting had faded. Lucifer nodded and dismissed them, taking the water glass through to her. She was sitting back from the toilet, bracing herself against the edge of Lucifer’s bathtub, her hands were covering her face.</p><p>“Luna, it’s time to get off of the floor” He extended a hand and helped her to her feet, giving her the water. “Drink this, then you will eat something.”</p><p>Luna nodded and sipped the water slowly, shuffling through to the next room. She took a seat on the sofa and quietly ate her toast. Through her delirium, Luna began to feel embarrassed at the state she let herself get to.</p><p>Lucifer sat next to her, his arms folded over his chest. The silence between them was deadening. When she finished both her toast and water, she stared at the small pile of her bed clothes. Her toothbrush was on top resting on a washcloth.</p><p>“Go shower and get ready for bed.” Lucifer’s deep voice was delivered flatly. Luna nodded and made her way back into the bathroom.</p><p> “Don’t lock the door in case I need to rescue you from yourself,” he warned.</p><p>Luna blushed at the notion, but decided it was in her best interest to comply. She was quick but thorough with her shower, cleaning off the smell of sick and alcohol seeping from her pours. She returned to the room, her hair wrapped in a towel, and hands shoved into the front pocket of her hoody. She had shoved her dirty clothes into the hamper in Lucifer’s bathroom, hoping she would remember to retrieve them. She at least had the forethought to carry the midnight stone brooch through with her. </p><p>“I could probably sleep in my own bed now…” Luna blushed.</p><p>Lucifer was standing in front of the fireplace, now dressed in a matching set of navy-blue cotton pajamas.</p><p>“No, I’d like you to stay here where I can keep and eye on you.” Luna eyed Lucifer’s couch. While it was very fancy, it looked like a terrible place to sleep. “We’ll share my bed, but don’t worry. I will let you be.”</p><p>Luna noted that the bed was vast enough for them to sleep far apart.  She moved to the right side of the bed, thinking it better to be as close to the bathroom as possible in case she needed to throw up again. She carefully placed her DDD and the midnight stone brooch on the top of his thick headboard and patted it as if to wish it good night. She reached for a pillow and settled in at the very edge of the bed. </p><p>Lucifer watched her move with hesitation and sighed. His expression softened as she saw her taking care with the gift he gave her, even while heavily inebriated.  With a wave of his hand and a few words spoken in Infernal, the lights in the room went out. He let his eyes adjust before he joined Luna in bed, keeping his distance from her.</p><p>He could feel her restlessness beside him and he instructed her to sleep. Of course, Luna resisted, sitting up and turning to face him. He was lying with his back to her.</p><p>“Please don’t blame them… It was really my fault… I just wanted to have fun. I don’t want you to fight with them.” Still intoxicated, Luna started to cry. Lucifer sat up and turned to her. Through the dark he could clearly see her, wiping away tears from her face. He had never seen her cry, even after watching Belphegor murder a version of herself, she had remained closed-off, hiding any sorrow from anyone. He frowned and he felt his heart soften. Lucifer reached out to touch her shoulder, Luna responded by shifting across the bed and pressing her forehead into his shoulder.</p><p>“You don’t want me to fight with my brothers, and yet you fight me all the time…” He pointed out. He pulled her into his arms and felt his night shirt dampen with her tears.</p><p>“But that’s different… I don’t think you’ll respect me if I just do whatever you want me to.”</p><p>Lucifer laughed and leaned back to take her gently by the chin. He gazed into her eyes, knowing she couldn’t see him in the dark. He watched as her eyes strained to see to no avail. “Even after we’ve told you how we feel about you, you still doubt…”</p><p>“You said that you cared for me… not that you respected me. While not mutually exclusive those are not the same thing.” Lucifer felt Luna’s hand find his chest and move up to find his face in an attempt to judge how far away it was from her. Her fingers twitched in realisation that his face was quite close to hers. “You’re all so… wonderful, how can I possibly compete with you… It’s all I can do to assert myself.” Her voice came in a whisper and she closed the gap between them, pressing a kiss to his lips. Lucifer responded, rolling her onto her back into the bed, bracing himself above her. He broke away, removing her hand from his face, he gently pressed his forehead to hers. He doubted how lucid she was in this moment and took a deep breath fighting back his own desires.</p><p>“Luna, I doubt your memory will be clear in the morning, and I cannot accept your offers while you are unable to give affirmative consent. Be still now… get some rest and we will resolve everything later.” He kissed her forehead and moved away from her, laying on his back. His listened to her breathing as she tried to fall asleep, and only managed to drift off himself once he was sure she was sound asleep.</p><p>---</p><p>Lucifer’s alarm went off early; earlier than he anticipated Luna getting up given the state she was in when he witnessed her falling to drunken pieces. As he became conscious, he became aware of her sleeping beside him. She was curled up on the foetal position at an odd angle, facing his with her head sharing his pillow. Luna was clutching a pillow to her chest, while the others were haphazardly strewn about the bed. It seemed Luna was a messy sleeper when recovering from over-consumption.
He sat up, careful not to wake her and reached to turn off his alarm.  He watched her for a moment, and reached to brush a few locks of her hair out of her face. She stirred in response and rolled onto her back, keeping the pillow against her body.</p><p>“Noooo…” she whined in her sleep. “Don’t put pickles on the radiator…”</p><p>He had to fight back a chuckle as he wondered what she was dreaming of. He sighed, slowly getting to his feet. He wanted to stay there a while longer, but couldn’t afford the time; there was a mountain of paperwork to process waiting for him. He rose and gathered his clothes to take through to his bathroom. He took a cold shower in an attempt to banish sleep and dressed quickly. He did not anticipate his brothers would be awake at this hour, and risked leaving Luna alone for a moment while he made himself a cup of coffee and retrieved some work to do while Luna slept.</p><p>---</p><p>Luna woke with a throbbing headache and felt as if her stomach was rebelling against her. It felt hollow and like it was desperate to crawl up her throat and escape. It took her a moment to realise that she wasn’t in her own bed. The lights were low, but they were bright enough to rouse her from her sleep. With her eyes still closed, she sat up and attempted to get up. Finding herself in the centre of Lucifer’s large bed, here eyes flew open and she checker herself over. She had little to no memory of getting in last night. As she fought to remember, her stomach groaned in complaint and she echoed it in response.</p><p>“I was wondering how long you intended to sleep for.” Lucifer’s deep voice drifted across to her. From a small desk in the far corner of his room.</p><p>“Why… did I?... did we…?” Luna felt her muscles aching, and as she clamoured out of the bed, felt a pain that indicated she may have a bruised coccyx. She brought her hands to her face and rubbed at her eyes, cheeks and temples as she tried to sooth her headache away.</p><p>“You came in late last night, past curfew… completely inebriated. I brought you here so I could keep an eye on you and make sure you didn’t have alcohol poisoning.” As he spoke, he didn’t look at her, but continued to shuffle through papers. “You also disobeyed me by convincing Asmo and Mammon to take you to a different club. By all accounts, you also managed to evade them long enough to start getting friendly with a succubus…”</p><p>“Ah… who let that part slip?” While her memory was fuzzy, Luna could still remember sitting with Nimueh and having drinks as they chatted. How many they had was another story. “I mean… not that I was trying to hide that part or anything.”
Smelling coffee in the air, Luna shuffled forward, and sat down at the coffee table to help herself to a cup of coffee and a croissant. Lucifer may have been angry with her, but at least he had the mercy to provide her with breakfast.</p><p>“If you were trying to hide anything, you were doing a piss-poor job of it. I have Devilgram alerts for hashtags involving humans… Nimueh posted the incriminating evidence.”</p><p>Luna was handed Lucifer’s DDD that was open to the post. A series of selfies and poses appeared on Nimueh’s timeline, along with a short clip of Luna knocking back an entire glass of green liquid. The images were fairly tame by her own standards; Luna was pulling silly faces and their arms were wrapped around each other. The post indicated that Nimueh was happy to make a new friend with the several hashtags: #Styxx #nightout #human #pactgoals.</p><p>Luna felt Lucifer's hands grip at her shoulders as he stood behind her on the other side of the couch.</p><p>“Do you have any idea how badly this could have gone for you?” Lucifer’s grip tightened and Luna shrank into the back of the couch.</p><p>“I… thought I was being responsible enough… I know her from RAD, and we had a good chat…” Luna gulped at the bitter Devildom coffee which had gone cold.</p><p>“What <i>exactly</i> did you say to her?” Lucifer’s tone darkened.</p><p>“We just talked about human politics… and about how I missed being around femme energy… I like femmes, too OK? It that a big deal? I'm surrounded by BDE and bravado all the time... I kinda needed a breather.” Luna’s voice rose in pitch, piqued with distress over waking up to Lucifer’s reproaches.</p><p>“You <i>cannot</i> give other demons that kind of information about you, they will use it to manipulate you and press gang you into a pact if you let them.” Lucifer reached over her and took his DDD back from her.</p><p>“I had no intention of forming a pact with Nimueh… I was just making friends…” Luna reached up and rubbed at her temples, the stress from Lucifer’s interrogation was making her feel worse.
“It seems she wants more than that.” Lucifer’s voice was close to her ear.</p><p>“Doesn’t every demon? I mean… if a pact means getting hold of a human soul. I just had a few drinks with them while waiting for the others to turn up… are they supposed to hold my hand while I go pee? I’d rather not have an audience while I take care of business…”</p><p>“A few drinks? Luna it was more than a few. Did you even fully comprehend what you were drinking?” Lucifer reached around her and flicked to a post Luna had made on her private Devilgram account.</p><p>Her latest post was a tower of empty glasses with a green overlay. Beneath it was the caption: “Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.”<sup>5</sup></p><p>“Ok… I don’t think ALL those are mine… I was just making a punny post. And I DID question Nimueh about the safety of the drink…” Luna stopped trying to sooth her head. It wasn’t working.</p><p>“And you are so quick to trust a demonic acquaintance? You were lucky this time. Have we been teaching you nothing…? Your naiveté will get the better of you.” Lucifer moved away from her and back to his desk. She could hear the weariness in his voice. He halfheartedly picked up a piece of paper and scanned over it.</p><p>“Well, I’ve already seen myself die once, not sure how much worse it can get…” She muttered, sitting up she helped herself to more cold coffee and took a frustrated bite out of her croissant. What she really needed was a proper fry-up to cure her hang-over, but she wasn't yet ready to risk facing Asmo or Mammon. She knew she owed them an apology. “Look… I <i>am</i> sorry for making an absolute tit of myself last night, and for drinking too much… but I kindly ask that you show me an ounce of mercy over this. I am maxed-out in terms of how much stress I can handle.” Luna stood and crossed the room to stand beside his desk. Her tone was strained from the pains she felt in her stomach and head.</p><p>Lucifer looked up and her and set his paperwork down.</p><p>“I cannot prevent you from speaking to other demons at school, but from now on, you are adhering to a strict curfew outside of official RAD functions, or unless I give you express permission. You may work your shift at the Library, but any outings will need careful planning, and proper approval. You are, as humans say…<i>grounded</i>”</p><p>Luna let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’m not a child, Lucifer… but if that will make you feel better, then I’ll accept those terms. How long am I grounded for?” Luna gritted her teeth as her headache flared.</p><p>Lucifer stood, noting the strain on her face. He stood and removed his gloves he placed two fingers on each temple and murmured the same spell he had when he helped with her bruises. He seemed to be acting as her personal pain-killer more frequently lately. Part of him considered letting her suffer through her self-inflicted pains. He only soothed her headache, however. Her stomach ache would be her own responsibility.</p><p>“Thanks…” Luna blushed and looked up at him, noting he was not amused.</p><p>“The length of time will be under advisement… if you can demonstrate to me that you have learned your lesson and behave more responsibly, then I will reconsider your house-arrest.”</p><p>“OK, warden… and am I still allowed yard time with Beelzebub?”</p><p>She smirked.</p><p>Lucifer chucked. “Yes, as long as you stay inside the gates, you may go for your runs. I won’t be so cruel as to put you in solitary confinement.”</p><p>Luna grew a devious smirk on her face, and she started to laugh.</p><p>“What is running through that mind of yours? You’re being punished here, Luna…” Lucifer folded his arms against his chest.</p><p>“Sorry… I was going to ask about conjugal visits…but that’s taking the metaphor too far.” She was cracking up at her own poorly-formed joke and tears were welling up in her eyes.
Lucifer sighed and shook his head, waiting for Luna to compose herself. Finally, she took a deep breath and wiped the moisture from her eyes.</p><p>“On a more serious note,” she swallowed hard, unsure if he had already dished out punishments for his brothers. “I want to vouch for Mammon and Asmodeus. I convinced them to take me to another venue, and I’m the one that got myself separated from them. Please go easy on them…”</p><p>“You asked the same thing of me last night.” He noted.</p><p>“I… don’t really remember much after getting into the car on the way home.” Luna looked disappointed with herself. She was usually so controlled, even when she was ‘letting loose.’ She had only been black-out drunk on one occasion, and since then had vowed to never get like that again.</p><p>“I can say you did not do anything too untoward… and we didn’t fully discuss how culpable my brothers were. I made no agreements with you while I was unsure of your ability to act with all of your faculties in working order.”
Luna looked down at her feet and covered her face. <i>What in the Devildom did I try to get him to agree to…</i></p><p>Lucifer saw that she was tormenting herself over her lack of memory and opted to fill her in accounting from the moment he saw her sat on the floor of the foyer. Luna sighed with relief after he concluded that she didn’t try anything further than a kiss. She was still embarrassed, but was relieved that she hadn’t tried to convince him to make a pact with her.</p><p>“That feeling you are experiencing; I want you to remember that the next time you think it would be wise to make a succubus your drinking buddy. If I was any other demon, I would have exploited your inebriated state.” Lucifer sat back down at his desk and put his gloves back on before shuffling through papers again.</p><p>Luna nodded, still not 100% convinced that Nimueh had it out for her.</p><p>“Now, you better go find Mammon and Asmodeus to apologise to them… for your sake, I’ve only grounded them as well. Their sentence will last as long as yours does, so do prove yourself to be a responsible human sooner rather than later.” Lucifer glanced over the detailed ledger in front of him and frowned. "If you'll excuse me Luna, I have a great deal to do..."</p><p>Luna nodded and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms over his chest. "Thank you for looking after me... I promise not to put you in such a position again."</p><p>Her voice was soft against his ear and he melted slightly, closing his eyes. He reached up to place a hand on her arm to hold her there for a few moments longer, but before he could, she slipped away and moved away to search for her things. Lucifer watched her leave, and once she was gone, he placed his head in both of his hands. This simple, troublesome human had made him soft, and he was at a loss for what to do with his feelings. He was too proud to admit to himself that he wished she had asked him for a pact last night, even if it meant not accepting it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Music References<br/>1. "Neutron Dance" - The Pointer Sisters (1984)<br/>2.  "Rhythm of the Night" - DeBarge (1985)<br/>3. "Under the Waves" - Pendulum (2010)<br/>4. "Renegade" - Styx (1978)<br/>5. This in reference to a line from 'Absinthe' - I Don't Know How But They Found Me (2018)</p><p>I listen to music frequently when trying to pull up inspiration for writing characters. During the Club Scenes, I was playing <i>Immersion</i> by Pendulum on repeat. When I write for Satan I listen to <i>My Mind Makes Noises</i> by Pale Waves and if I'm writing for Asmo, I listen to <i>Cosmicandy</i> by The Orion Project. Just a fun fact for anyone who it a music fan as much as I am. My music reference may end up being anachronistic at some point, but I haven't thought too much into an equivalent time period for my fic yet. I may just set in the nebulous 'future' / an alternate reality (cause f*ck COVID-19, I just want to escape from it for a bit!) </p><p>This one ended up being WAY longer than intended! But that's the way it came out. I had the idea for Luna to go flirt with a Succubus awhile back. I get that Otome's are boy-focused in the love interest department, but I am a bit sad that there aren't any female or femme non-binary characters as better-developed characters, so Nimueh came out of some wish-fulfillment. I may write a one-shot in the future to fully flesh-out the character in the future. I just wanted to throw some femme-appreciation out there. </p><p>I hope you enjoyed this longer one, and as always, comments and feedback are appreciated. If anyone is having issue reading because of the length, please let me know in the comments, and I'd be happy to break this into 2 parts.</p><p>Next chapter is Beel and Belphie-centered and will continue with the Fluff and splash of Angst trend. The chapter after that will feature Levi fluff.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Indoor Camping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Opening with some Asmo and Mammon reconciliation from last chapter. Beel Fluff and Belphie angst: Luna works out with Beel and makes s'mores and a blanket fort. </p><p>Content Warning: Conflict with Belphie over the un-addressed issues in chapter 15/16. Discussions of fear and death.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Luna left Lucifer’s room she noted that it was 2pm in the afternoon, and she was embarrassed by how much of the day she had slept away.  Aching and exhausted she made her way to her room to regroup and shower to get the remaining smells of last night off her skin.  She was determined to properly apologise for her behaviour and getting Asmo and Mammon in trouble, but first she needed to get some salty, fatty food in her stomach. If she had been at her home in the human world, she would have rolled out of bed and went to the greasy spoon not far from her apartment for a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich and hash browns. The thought of it made her mouth water. Instead she would have to make due with whatever she could find in the fridge.</p><p>When she was fed, she made her way to Mammon’s room first and hesitantly knocked on his door. If he was indeed grounded in the same way she was, he <i>should</i> be in his bedroom.</p><p>“Waddya want?!” His grumpy face appeared through the crack in the door and he glared at her. “Oh… she lives…”</p><p>“Hey Mammon… I’ve come to apologise to you for last night. May I come in?” she slouched down, making herself a bit shorter, given that they were roughly the same height.</p><p>“It better be a damn-good apology… I mean on your knees, begging for forgiveness good.” He let Luna in and went to sit down on one of his couches. Mammom always seemed to attempt to take up as much space as possible, manspreading his legs and poking his elbows out as he shoved his hands in his pockets.</p><p>Luna followed in and sighed. “If that is what it takes…” she nodded and dropped down to her knees to kneel. She stunned Mammon for a moment.</p><p>“He-Hey… I didn’t think you’d actually… I mean why wouldn’t ya throw yourself at the mercy of the great Mammon?” Mammon was silent for a while, watching her carefully, making sure this wasn’t some kind of trick. Of course, he was mad at her. What if some low-level demon had absconded with her and they never saw her again? To make matters worse, he had found her with an ex of his. After a moment he leaned forward and pulled her up so she was sat across his lap. Luna made a cry of protest, but Mammon took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye through his glasses.</p><p>“Mammon, please, I am trying to be sincere, here.” She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. “I have gotten you in trouble by insisting we leave The Fall, and by not texting you or Asmo when I couldn’t find you. I am sorry for getting you in trouble with Lucifer, and for worrying you.”</p><p>“I will accept your apology, but you owe me, and believe me, you don’t want to owe THE MAMMON anything for too long…” He grinned at her.</p><p>Luna swallowed hard and pried his hands off her face.</p><p>“OK… then while we’re grounded, I’ll do your laundry… starting today… is that fair?” She brought her eyes to his face with a questioning expression.</p><p>Mammon thought for a moment and nodded. “AND when we’re no longer grounded, then ya have to take ME out on <i>a date</i>”</p><p>Luna frowned. “Mammon… that’s exploiting the situation! I’ll take you out for an apology meal, but I’m not dating you as retribution…”</p><p>Mammon blushed a moment and looked away. “Fine, ya don’t have to call it a <i>date</i>.”</p><p>“Deal” Luna extended a hand to shake on it, and Mammon accepted. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go apologise to Asmo… if he will even speak to me.” She sighed and rose to go, but Mammon held her hand.</p><p>“Luna… Just promise to be more careful. It’s my job to protect ya, but ya need to help me out here… Don’t run away from me again… please?”</p><p>Luna gave him a sad look and took his head in her hands. “I’m truly sorry for making you suffer.” She placed a soft kiss against his forehead and felt his arms close around her waist as he pressed the side of his face against her abdomen.</p><p>“It is bad enough that I share you with my brothers, but I don’t want you making any more pacts.” His voice was muffled against her stomach and she ran her fingers through his hair.</p><p>“Ok Mammon… I can tell you now that I am not interested in making pacts with Nimueh, or anyone else outside of this house.” She sighed.</p><p>Mammon released her and looked up at her.</p><p>“So you’re saying you would make a pact with Lucifer?” He was frowning. If Lucifer made a pact with Luna, he knew his chances of being her number-one would diminish to zero.</p><p>“I –” she had a worried look on her face and shook her head. “I think that is the last thing Lucifer would want… and I wouldn’t ask him after—” She moved away from Mammon. It was too painful to discuss the feelings she had yet to process. “I’m sorry, I need to go. If you collect your laundry items, I’ll come by to get them after I speak to Asmo.” Luna left quickly trying to shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was no way she could ask Lucifer for a pact; even if she was desperate to forge one with him, would she be willing to trade what he asked for in return? What would he even ask for in return?</p><p>As she made her way down the hall to Asmo’s room, Luna shoved away fat, silent tears from her face. Her composure had broken as soon as she closed the door to Mammon’s room. She paused in front of his door and took a deep breath to try and steady her emotions.</p><p>When she knocked, Asmo opened the door and pouted at her.</p><p>“I don’t think I can speak to you right now, Luna. I’m very upset with you.” She could see the hurt on his face, and she wanted to make it all better.</p><p>“I’ve come to apologise to you, Asmodeus. I’m so sorry for being a complete idiot. I got the better of myself and drank too much, and I put you in a position that put you in conflict with Lucifer. It’s my fault and I would like to make it up to you.”</p><p>Asmo noted how sad Luna was and sighed. It was difficult for him to stay mad at her, but it would be another thing to forgive. Forgiveness was a tricky, elusive thing for demons.</p><p>“If you sincerely want to apologise, then you need to make it up to me somehow.” He propped a hand on his hip and looked at her expectantly.</p><p>Luna had to think for a moment. She explained what she had offered to Mammon and asked if there were any chores she could take over for the duration of their grounding.</p><p>“I don’t want you touching my clothes, as they are too complicated for me to let just anyone care for them.” He pondered a moment. Luna began to grow nervous as a smirk grew on his face. “You can be my assistant when it is my turn to make dinner, and take over my washing-up duties. Kitchen duty does terrible things to the skin on my hands… it would be good to have a reprieve from that… and when we’re no longer grounded, you owe me a spa day, just the two of us.” Asmo seemed pleased with the suggestion.</p><p>“Ok, sounds good… though I may need to save up some money again if I’m going to take both you and Mammon out.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I should also thank you… for suggesting we go out in the first place. I know it turned out poorly, but I did have a good time.” She offered him a smile and Amso laughed, shaking his head.</p><p>“Well, at least you did seem to enjoy yourself better at a place like Styxx, too bad we’re forbidden from stepping foot in there with you again. It was nice to see you let go like that.” Asmo winked at her.</p><p>“I haven’t felt like myself here, to be honest. It’s hard to let my guard down.” She sighed and looked down at her feet. She was wrestling with herself constantly. If she was in the company of other humans, it would have been easy for her to be her jovial, affectionate self; but she felt like she had to conceal this part of herself while she figured out exactly where she stood with a house full of demons.</p><p>“I’d like you do let your guard down again some time…” Asmo gave her a sultry look, which prompted a giggle from Luna. She always found if funny how hard he tried to get her to cave to his bedroom eyes.</p><p>Luna offered Asmo a hug before she excused herself. Asmo gladly accepted and tenderly embraced her. It wasn’t often that she offered to touch him or any of the others, especially if they were in the eyesight of anyone else.</p><p><i>Perhaps one drunken evening has made her eager to shed her hesitations</i> Asmo thought to himself. If he benefitted from this, then he had no complaints. He was not one to monopolise the time of his partners, as he had so much love and lust to give and receive, but ever since he met her, it bothered him that his seductive powers didn’t work on her. </p><p>He tried to convince Luna to stay, but she was too tired and wanted to rest up in her own room for a while. In truth she needed the space to process the well of emotions playing at the back of her mind.</p><p>With a wave and a fresh kiss on her cheek from Asmo, Luna left to return to her room, swinging back by Mammon’s room to collect his laundry.</p><p>Luna committed herself to doing Laundry for the rest of the day, and as she waited for one of her loads to dry, she texted Beelzebub about their work-out plans for tomorrow.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: Hey Beel… I have bad news about the gym tomorrow. I’m grounded for being a fool, and I am on house arrest for the foreseeable. Can we work out at home tomorrow?</i>
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  <p>
    <i>Beel: ☹ I wanted to do deadlifts with you…</i>
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  <p>
    <i>Luna: I’m sorry Beel… I promise to do what I can to get released ASAP. Let’s think of something else. </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Beel: OK, meet me in the music room after your library shift tomorrow and I’ll have something worked out for us to do. </i>
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  <p>
    <i>Luna: You’re the best! </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: Oh, and I have something fun planned for our after-workout snack! </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i> Beel: Belphie wants to know if he can join us… For the snack that is</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Luna sighed at Belphie’s request and texted back that is was ‘OK’ for him to join. She ideally would have wanted one-on-one time with Beel, but understood that unless working out was involved, Beel and Belphie usually came as a package deal. Equally, if napping was involved, Beel didn’t seem to be interested.</p><p>---</p><p>After work, Luna met Beel in the music room, scattered around the room were different stations with a variety of work-out accessories. Beel had thrown down the gauntlet with a series of circuits for both of them to follow. The exercises were pretty basic, and mostly involved body weight or some kind of weight of either extreme: the heavy weight for Beel, and the lighter weight for Luna.</p><p>As she looked around the room, Luna wrapped her left wrist support and took a deep breath. Luna always enjoyed seeing Beel’s ingenuity when it came to formulating work-out routines. It was a wonder that his brothers didn’t work out with him.</p><p>“I guess your brothers might feel intimidated by your work-ethic…” She smirked. “You know, in the human realm people pay good money to have someone as fit as you yell at them and whip them into shape…”</p><p>Beel blushed. “I don’t want to yell at you… I like you.”</p><p>“I like you too, Beel.” She smiled at him a patted his bare arm. This made him look away as he decided where they would start.</p><p>Luna chose the music, picking some up-beat electro music to help boost their energy. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the industrial metal and dance music she liked to dance to in clubs. Beel’s routine was killer, pushing her to her limits, but never overwhelming for her. When they finished, Luna helped Beel clean up, shoving everything into a duffle bag and putting the seats back in place before they did some cool down stretches together.</p><p>He watched her form as she moved into a pigeon stretch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reaching back and pulling her back foot toward her bum to deepen the stretch.</p><p>They were greeted with a knock on the open door, and they both turned to look simultaneously.</p><p>“Are you just about finished in here?” Belphie was stood in the doorway yawning a clutching his Pillow.</p><p>“Nearly… I need you guys to get some clean sheets and bring them into the common room.” She smiled.</p><p>“What do you need those for?” Belphie narrowed his gaze and looked confused.</p><p>“We are going to camp out in the common room and make s’mores… I thought we could build a blanket fort.”</p><p>“Sounds like effort” Belphie sighed.</p><p>“No, I promise it will be fun, and I’ve borrowed a collection of human-world ghost stories from Satan. You’ve never been camping before, and I thought it might be good fun…” It was a childish activity, but Luna was in the need of something silly to balance out the heavy emotional weight she had been grappling with since she arrived in the Devildom.</p><p>Luna switched her stretch to get the opposite side and felt Belphie watch her closely. They all seemed, at one point or another, watch her closely as if to try and figure her out simply by watching her behaviour.</p><p>“You know Belphie… A picture would last longer… like the one from Friday.” She chided him.</p><p>“What… are you still mad about that,” He huffed in his usual slow, unimpressed way of speaking.</p><p><i>Not as mad as I am about you killing me…</i> she thought, her face grimacing. She thought better of bringing it up now, but she knew it needed to be talked about. She just didn’t want to hash it out in front of Beel or any of the other for fear of opening up barely healed emotional wounds, but it was hard for her to be alone with him.</p><p>“You push too much… would you please start collecting things for the fort?” Her tone was tense.</p><p>“It seems so silly… but fine.” Belphie left them and Luna let out a sigh.</p><p>“Thank you for trying with him…” Beel muttered once Belphie was gone.</p><p>“I just want you guys to be ok…” she responded. “And I don’t want to get in the way of your family making progress toward some semblance of balance.” Luna shifted and got on her back to stretch her hamstrings. Beel watched as her knee bent the higher up she brought her leg, and shook his head.</p><p>“Keep your leg straight, then lift… Here…” He moved to grasp her leg and keep it straight as he slowly rose and pushed her leg into the stretch. Luna took a deep breath and groaned slightly.</p><p>“That’s just enough… thanks.” She said through a sharp breath. They held that position for the count of ten before switching sides. Beel couldn’t look her in the eye, and kept his eyes trained on her hip to make sure he didn’t push too far. In his shyness, he recognised that Luna trusted him the most with her body. He knew it was because he was too hesitant to make any moves, especially while they were training together. He didn’t want to abuse her trust, and refrained from making any suggestive comments or contact, in spite of how much he may have wanted to.</p><p>He got to see more of her vulnerability than the others; he got to witness the limits of her human body as she tried to improve her own strength and work through her own limitations. She would let him see her and touch her in her most vulnerable moments, like now. With the others, she often avoided close contact, but Beel recognised how she twitched slightly during kinder moments with them. He could tell she was a hugger, and he hoped he could be on the receiving end of a hug from her one day.</p><p>“Thanks for today, Beel…” She said, signalling that they were done with the stretch. Beel let her go and nodded, his stomach let out a low grumble as if on cue.</p><p>Luna smiled and sat up patting his stomach. “I’ll get my surprise for you ready and meet you in the Common room after I’ve showered… go ahead and get a pre-snack if you need it.” Beel only nodded and left her to go clean himself up and take his equipment back to his room.</p><p>---</p><p>It had taken some time, but finally a much-anticipated parcel arrived for Luna earlier in the week. It had taken some searching and a long wait time, but she now had the ingredients she needed for a proper in-door camp-out. The box was filled with assorted packages of marshmallows, graham crackers and cheap chocolate. After her conversations with Satan, Luna was fairly certain that none of them would have experienced the childhood fun of camping, and she was determined to replicate the experience the best she could. If the activity was a success with Beel and Belphie, she thought it would be a fun activity they could try as a household.</p><p>When Luna entered the common room with her box of Supplies, she found Beel and Belphie waiting for her.</p><p>“Ok. So first we need to somehow make a tent from the bedsheets… If we were really camping, we’d have a tarpaulin or a pop-up tent, but well just make-due with bedsheets since we’re inside…” She nodded and moved to arrange some of the chairs around behind the sofas to act as anchors. Beel and Belphie watched, not really sure what she was doing. Once the chairs were in place Luna pulled a few rubber bands and clothed pins from the front pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and began to attach the sheets to the backs of the chairs. When they ran out of material to make the fort, Luna ran off to her room and pulled out some clean sheets from her own room and grabbed off the comforter and pillows. Clumsily, she tossed her bedding under the canopy of Belphegor’s sheet and attempted to make a cosy space under the sheet. When that was done, she went about the room, putting the lights out. She asked Beel and Belphie to help her give the room more of a ‘night-time’ vibe, though it was only 4pm in the afternoon, by the time on her DDD.</p><p>Luna sat down beside the fireplace and gestured for Beel and Belphie to join her, patting the spaces beside her. She opened up her box of supplies and pulled out the components.</p><p>“What are we making?” Belphie asked through a yawn. He was lying beside her, propping himself up on one of the pillows by his elbows.</p><p>“S’mores… It’s like a marshmallow-chocolate sandwich…” As they sat on either side of her, she examined one of the bags. The size of the marshmallows could only be described as ‘Beel sized.’ She would have to use the second bag of medium marshmallows for the s’mores.</p><p>Beel tentatively picked up the box of gram crackers and look them over. They were covered in cinnamon and sugar, according to the human writing on the box. His stomach growled in anticipation.</p><p>“Can I have one on its own…while I wait.?” He frowned and looked sadly at Luna. His hunger always pained him and annoyed his brothers, but this little human didn’t seem to mind. She was always giving him a new human-realm treats to eat.</p><p>“Of course!” She gave him a joyful grin and set the bag of marshmallows down to help him open the box and pull out a sheet of the gram crackers. She broke it in half and gave Beel one part and Belphie the other. </p><p>“Just eat it slowly” She smiled at him with such warmth; she hoped it would stop his hunger pains if only for a moment. </p><p>Beel took the cracker and took as small a bite as possible, savouring the spicey sweetness as he watched her skewer a marshmallow and hold it out toward the fire, rotating it every so often. “Once you get the edges as crispy as you like, then you take it off the fire” She handed the skewer to Beel and picked up some chocolate and graham crackers. She wedged the marshmallow off the skewer and offered Beel the first s’more. He held it for a while, watching as she made a second one for Belphie.</p><p>“Make sure it isn’t too hot… the marshmallow should melt the chocolate a bit… then take a bite before it cools down all the way.”</p><p>Luna made a third one for herself, fumbling with the materials. Luna blew on the bits of fluffy pink marshmallow oozing from the sides and took a bite. Beel and Belphie followed suit.</p><p>“Mmmm… this is great, Luna… a bit on the sweet side, but still good.” Belphie looked up and gave her a lazy smile.</p><p>“I went with dark chocolate for that reason. Milk chocolate would have been too sweet.” Luna nodded and turned to look at Beel. The s’more was nowhere to be found, but she saw that his cheeks were puffed out and he was chewing loudly.</p><p>“That good, huh?” Luna asked, laughing softly and beaming at him. Beels’ cheeks coloured and he shielded his mouth with his hands so he could give her a muffled response.</p><p>“mmmgood…” He continued to chew and smiled back at Luna once he swallowed. “Let me try to make you one?”</p><p>Luna nodded and let him take over making the s’mores. As Beel got to work, Luna regaled them with stories of the times she went to sleep-away camp.  She told them about the night hikes and the games they would play, and the silly ghost stories they would tell to try to scare each other.</p><p>“I keep thinking it would be fun to go on a camping trip together… but I’m not sure that the Devildom is the best place for that.” She picked at the burnt crust of a toasted marshmallow as she considered all the beasties that they would have to contend with in the wilds of hell. Satan would probably have to cast a protective circle.</p><p>Belphie yawned in response, having finished his second s’more. “The tent is fun,” he admitted. “But I think there’s too much work involved… cooking out-doors… no proper beds…”</p><p>Luna frowned at him. “Well there goes my idea of suggesting we go on a camping trip in the human realm to Lucifer.”</p><p>Beel was on his fifth s’more now. Neither Luna, nor Belphie had been interested in thirds, so he kept making them for himself. Belphie rolled over and shrugged. “I figured you wouldn’t want me in your human life after this. Who wants to spend time in the smelly human realm any way.” He pouted and moved to crawl into blanket fort. Belphie took a moment to make a little nest for himself before settling down and closing his eyes. In a few moments he was sound asleep.</p><p>“I’m sure he’ll warm up to the idea eventually.” Beel mumbled; the idea sounded like fun to him, especially the part about making camp food. At this point, they couldn’t make any more s’mores, but they could at least continue to toast the larger Marshmallows.</p><p>“This is really fun, Luna.” Beel smiled and took a jumbo marshmallow from the bag. They toasted them and he watched as Luna struggled to get the marshmallow off. Beel had simply put the whole thing in his mouth in one bite, but Luna gingerly pulled at the top layers of the marshmallow skin, leaving behind a sticky glob.</p><p>“I’m glad you like it… I thought you’d appreciate it.” </p><p>Beel watched her intently as she ate the crunchy-sticky layer. When she was done, she bit at the gooey mass on her skewer, making a sticky marshmallow mess all over her face. He licked his lips as she attempted to get it all off.</p><p>“Did I get it all?” She asked, turning to face him.</p><p>Beel couldn’t help himself as he leaned toward her and licked at the marshmallow stuck to the tip of her nose. “You’re covered in marshmallow,” he explained, tilting his head to lick away the sugary streak lingering on her lower lip. “So sweet” he murmured softly, smiling at her. Luna leaned in, kissing him gently in return. This had taken him by surprise, but he hummed happily into their marshmallow-flavoured kiss. When their brief kiss stopped, he moved to sit behind her wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her back.</p><p>“May I hold you like this for a while, Luna… you’re always so kind to me, I just want to hold you for a bit.” Luna came off her knees and sat back against him on her bum.</p><p>Beel was huge, but he didn’t use his bulk to intimidate her, at least not intentionally. She had been initially apprehensive around him, but as they grew closer, she found his presence comforting. She knew he only acted out of a desire to protect her.</p><p>“When I'm with you, being hungry isn't so bad. I wonder why...” His voice came low beside her head and Luna closed her eyes.</p><p>“I don’t know why that is… but I enjoy our time together Beel.” She whispered softly. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Luna felt calm as they watched he fire burn down to embers together.</p><p>“Have you ever played chubby bunny?” Luna asked, breaking the silence. She suspected that they wouldn’t have cause to play such a silly child’s game.</p><p>“What’s that?” Beel sounded confused.</p><p>“It’s a game kids play… you take marshmallows and see who can fit the most in their mouth and still be able to say ‘chubby bunny’… it’s silly, and you usually waste the marshmallows, but it’s a good laugh.” Luna smiled and saw Beel reach for the jumbo marshmallow bag.</p><p>“Those are too big for that through… I doubt I could even manage one.” Luna turned sideways just in time to see Beel shove a jumbo marshmallow into his mouth.</p><p>“chhhhubby… bunny” he managed, prompting a giggle from Luna. Smiling she reached into the bag and shoved the final marshmallow in her own mouth.</p><p>She could barely keep her lips closed around the giant marshmallow. “Wuhwee Bwuhee” she tried, fighting back laughter and trying not to drool.</p><p>Beel seemed to swallow his marshmallow whole before declaring victory. Luna blushed and spat the now wet marshmallow into her hand.</p><p>“Eugh… gross.” She laughed, not sure what to do with it.</p><p>Perhaps without thinking, Beel took her marshmallow filled hand and ate it in one bite. “Mmmm…” he smiled.</p><p>“Uh… waste not… want not I guess.” Luna smiled nervously, feeling a bit sick to her stomach from all the sugar. “I have definitely hit my limit on sweets for the week, I think.” She went to get up, but Beel gently stopped her from rising to her feet.</p><p>“You’re not leaving, are you?” Beel looked disappointed.</p><p>“No no… just getting a book…” She jogged to her room and quickly grabbed the book to read aloud.</p><p>When she returned, she heard Beel explaining the tent to Levi, who had been passing by.</p><p>“What weird normie thing does she have you doing now?” Levi sounded a bit put-out.</p><p>“It’s a blanket fort… She’ll be back soon…” Belphie answered from inside the tent.</p><p>“I’m going to read a ghost story, Levi. Would you like to join us? I can’t make you a s’more, but there may be some graham crackers left?” She looked to Beel who was clutching the box, hoping to be allowed to have more.</p><p>Levi leaned over and stared into the tent, noting how tight the space was, he shook his head. “I’d have to touch you guys if I got in there… no thank you.” His cheeks coloured. If it was just Luna, there would have been plenty of room for them to sit under the tent without having to touch. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget our marathon plans for tomorrow.”</p><p>“No, I have a meeting with Lucifer in the morning, but after breakfast, I’m all yours for the day.” She gave him nod and watched as he made a face.</p><p>“Ddd-don’t say things like that!... I mean… you’re <i>not mine</i> really are you…” He stared down at his feet.</p><p>“Ok… sorry, it was just a figure of speech…” She took a space next to Belphie in the fort and opened the book to read the titles of the stories.</p><p>“If you’d like to listen, you can always sit <i>outside</i> the fort.” Luna offered and scooted over so Beel could take up the remaining space next to her. Levi shook his head.</p><p>“I’ve got a game to play… I’ll see you at dinner.” He left, but not before taking a picture of Luna’s fort on his DDD and posting it to the older Brother’s chat.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Levichan: Luna is being weird… she built a ‘fort’ in the common room and she’s reading to Beel and Belphie…</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Lucifer: As long as she cleans up after, I don’t care.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Mammon: I thought she had ta prove she was responsible… I’m gonna be grounded forever aren’t I?</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Lucifer: It seems to look that way.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Levichan: RIP</i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Luna decided on a story and began to read: “Okay guys… this one is called, <i>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</i>” Luna did her best to dramatically read the story, inflecting on the parts that were meant to be scary or spooky.</p><p>As she read, she apologised to Beel over the vivid descriptions of party food. “I didn’t realise the author wrote at length” She looked at him apologetically and got up to get out a bag a mini marshmallow that were too small for toasting. Her intention was to use them for hot chocolate, but she was happy to offer some to Beel so he would be more comfortable. When she retuned to the fort, Beel pulled her into his lap so he could hold her close again. Luna’s heart beat quickened a moment, but she calmed down after a few moments of reading aloud again.</p><p>“<i>The immediate cause, however, of the prevalence of supernatural stories in these parts, was doubtless owing to the vicinity of Sleepy Hollow. There was a contagion in the very air that blew from that haunted region; it breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies infecting all the land … Many dismal tales were told about funeral trains, and mourning cries and wailings heard and seen about the great tree … The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard.</i>”<sup>1</sup></p><p>Belphie, who was half asleep, had moved so that he was lying next to Beel so that he could hear the story better. When the story finished, he spoke up.</p><p>“You seem to like scary stories Luna…”</p><p>“It’s a form of fantasy… it is kind of cathartic, don’t you think, being confronted with the things that scare you? It gives you moment to pause and think about why that thing scares you…”</p><p>“Any what scares you, Luna, truly?” Belphie rose to a seated position and slipped a hand against her cheek to make her look him in the eye. Beel felt Luna tense up at Belphie’s touch. “Do I scare you?” Belphie’s voice darkened as he gave her an evil smirk.</p><p>“Belphie…” Beel’s voice came like a warning as he rubbed Luna’s shoulder, attempting to comfort her.</p><p>“What do you think?!” Luna replied, her voice trembled slightly. “I watched you kill me, Belphie… I can’t stand to be alone with you. You never even apologised…”</p><p>“But I gave you a pact…” Belphie’s hand dropped from her face. “And you spent so much time getting me and my brothers to make amends… I thought you were over it.”</p><p>“Over it? I have nightmares about it… they are less frequent now, but I couldn’t properly sleep for a week after… I mean I never properly sleep, but it only got worse.” Luna shifted from Beel's lap. He wanted to hold her close and help her feel safe, but he realised doing so would make her feel trapped. She had moved across to the opposite side of the fort so she would be free of anyone's close-contact. </p><p>“I thought you didn’t fear death…” Belphie huffed. It was true that Luna had often expressed this opinion when the subject of fear came up, that she knew death was an inevitability of human existence, and she didn’t fear it in that sense.</p><p>“I don’t fear it as an abstract concept, but being made to watch yourself die… being confronted with the HOW of death… that’s different. That is something that I can never unsee…”</p><p>“But you’re <i>not</i> dead… Barbatos fixed it.” Belphie was insistent. </p><p>“I didn’t think you would understand… any of you. You’re immortal and powerful… you wouldn’t know what it is like to feel so breakable would you?” She shook her head and climbed out of the blanket fort.</p><p>Anxiously she got to work dismantling the fort with the twins still beneath it. Awkwardly she took the sheets and wadded them up before stuffing them in her cardboard box to take to the Laundry.</p><p>“This was REAL fun guys… let’s do it again sometime…” She muttered sarcastically.</p><p>Beel and Belphie exchanged looks with one another.</p><p>“Luna…” Belphie started, looking a bit crestfallen.</p><p>“I get that you had issues with humans… I understand how much it hurts to lose someone you love. I even sympathise with you over how horrible you must have felt over being locked away… But that doesn’t justify what you did… what you did to me when I was trying to help you… you <i>used</i> me Belphie… and maybe… maybe that’s what demons do… but then you weren’t always a demon were you… I guess even angels look down on humanity…” Luna paused and shifted her line of sight to meet Belphie’s eyes. “My life may be small, and insignificant, but it is mine, and you nearly took it away from me… So yes Belphie, you do scare me, because despite all that, I still want to help you and your brothers be happy, if I have any power to do so.” Luna’s expression was pained, and she stood in silence for a moment while tried to will herself to move.</p><p>Breaking herself out of it, she moved to return the chairs to their original positions and finalised the tidy up. As she left the room Belphie moved to follow her, but Beel stopped him.</p><p>“I think she needs space…” He said.</p><p>“I just don’t get why the pact wasn’t enough for her… she can command me anytime she wants to. Shouldn’t that make her feel safer?” Belphie looked back at Beel.</p><p>“It is more complicated than that. She doesn’t want to enforce her will over others.” Lucifer’s voice carried across the room. He had been quietly listening.</p><p>“So… she doesn’t want to be put in the position where she would have to used our pact to save herself… I don’t get it. Solomon has no problem invoking his pacts from what Asmo has said.” Belphie shook his head.</p><p>“I’m speaking with her tomorrow. I’ll see if she will explain herself further and then see if I can translate it in a way we can all comprehend.” Lucifer folded his arms across his chest. “I would leave her alone until then, Belphegor, can you do that?”</p><p>“Whatever…” Belphie turned to leave and Beel followed close behind, looking eager to talk things through with his twin in private.</p><p>Lucifer shook his head and sighed as he realised he would need to allow more time for his meeting with Luna in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. from <i>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow</i> by Washington Irving.<br/>I found a website where you can get free pdfs of ebooks and you can find the whole story here: https://www.planetebook.com/</p><p>Apologies again for the chapter swap, but this makes more sense. The next chapter is Lucifer-focused, and mostly angst with some fluff and ending on a positive note. It will continue to work through the Belphie issue. </p><p>The idea had for the final chapter is getting re-purposed as a one-shot, so the end of this one with focus on relationship dynamics with Levi. Given he has hardly been in this, I wanted to end this arc with Levi and some light-hearted fluff and understanding. </p><p>I'll make more notes on my further writing plans at the end of Chapter 7.</p><p>Comments and feedback appreciated as always! Hope you enjoyed :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Melophile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luna and Lucifer have their morning meeting. Some Fluff; Some Angst; Some romance. Special appearance by Diavolo.</p><p>Content warning: Dreams about character death. Discussions about sex, sexuality and contraception.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luna woke earlier than necessary the following day. Her tense conversation with Belphegor played on her mind through the evening, preventing her from getting sound enough sleep. When she did sleep, she dreamt of watching her own demise. It had become a recurring nightmare, and just one of the many stress factors that kept her from sleeping. This time in the dream she was attacking herself in the foyer while the others looked on with passionless expressions. She tried to reach out for help as her own face bore down on her, squeezing life from her at the neck. Then it flipped and she was seeing her own pained expression as her hand gripped around the neck of her twin-self. She awoke with a start and found herself in a cold sweat, and tears streaming down her face. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she realised she hadn’t had a good solid cry in a long time.</p><p>In exasperation, she brushed her hair out of her face and checked her DDD. It was 5am; not worth going back to sleep for. She decided it would be best to wake up now and get mentally prepared for her meeting with Lucifer. She imagined it would be uncomfortable, her arguments with him had compounded over time, leading to a tension that she forced herself to set aside when she woke up in his bed after her rambunctious night out with Asmo, Mammon, and Solomon. Now it was time to face the music, but not before she had the opportunity to calm herself from her nightmares.</p><p>As she shifted in bed, she felt her muscles ache from her workout with Beel. Everything felt tight. Slowly, she moved, placing her feet on the floor and rising into a stretch. She wanted to stretch out, but the space in her make-shift room was too tight. She picked out a towel from her linen drawer and flopped it onto the bed before pulling out leggings and a baggy tank top that read ‘filthy casual’ on it. After a quick shower, she resolved to go to the music room to try to stretch and work through the knots in her muscles with a tennis ball.</p><p>The house was still as she crossed through it, using the light from her DDD to illuminate her path. Her slippered feet tapped lightly against the tiles and floor boards, echoing into the velvety darkness. When she reached the music room, it was dimly lit beneath from the observatory window, giving her just enough light to light as many of the lamps in the room as possible. Many of them required magic to reach, which she wasn’t able to wield. It was rare that she was the first be awake and about the house, but she was glad for the opportunity to monopolise the music room.  She selected a playlist of calming music to wake up to and turned the volume down low. She wasn’t sure how far it would carry, but she didn’t want to take any chances and wake up any of the others.</p><p>She crossed the room and found a place to begin her stretches under the stars in the observatory. It was peaceful and calm, and Luna focused on her breathing, attempting to banish her nerves.</p><p>---</p><p>Lucifer was awake, having only managed a few hours of sleep. His night had been long and filled with paperwork again, and he was beginning to regret insisting on such an early meeting with the human exchange student.</p><p>He took his time to change into his house attire, despite the hour and his fatigue, he took his time to make sure there wasn’t a wrinkle in his clothes. He checked himself over in the mirror and straightened his tie. Everything about his appearance was in order and pristine.</p><p>As he descended the stairs, he began to hear a distant and faint music; acoustic guitars and womens’ voices floated through the morning air. He followed it, keeping the house dark until he could find the source. As he neared the music room, the track changed and the lyrics became clearer over the sound of a folk waltz.</p><p>
  <i>It's time to learn to be<br/>
More forgiving of yourself<br/>
And your sins<br/>
And those mistakes you've made<br/>
You've got to try to take<br/>
The lessons away from them<br/>
And leave the rest behind<br/>
Oh regret, put it out, put it out of your mind<br/>
All the self-loathing in the world won't change a thing</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Cause you can't go back, darling<br/>
The time has come for moving on<br/>
You can't be always trying to dig up<br/>
What you've already buried<br/>
You've got to carry, carry, carry on<br/>
Carry on<sup>1</sup></i>
</p><p>The lights were dim in the music room, and Lucifer paused in the door way to peak in. He didn’t see her initially, but knew Luna was in there by the human scent that permeated the air. He spotted her, sat on the floor in front of the fountain with her back to the door. Her feet were out in front of her and she was bending forward to reach her toes, only missing them by a small fraction.</p><p>He heard her take a deep breath and reach further with a nearly inaudible strain. He watched her a moment, silently, letter her work through her routine, no doubt something Beelzebub had devised for her – at least in part. He watched her shift, and lay down on the floor with her palms up and eyes closed.</p><p>She appeared to just be listening to the music now, her breathing was slow and deliberate. He knocked against the door after a moment, and Luna sat up, crossing her legs and peering through the dim light. Recognition set into her facial expression.</p><p>“Good, morning…” she said. She seemed like she was in a pleasant, sleepy stupor.</p><p>“You’re up very early. Our meeting isn’t until 7am.” He moved across the room and stopped at the top of the pair of steps leading into the glass room where Luna sat. She has pressed her bare feet together and sat up straight, stretching her back. She did not look up at him but closed her eyes.</p><p>“I woke from a bad dream and decided to come here to stretch and meditate a bit before our appointment. I thought it might help.” Luna shifted turned her head from side to side, looking over shoulders before centring her head and tilting it up and down. “We have a hard conversation ahead of us, and I wanted to approach it from a calm, logical frame of mind.” She opened her eyes and looked up at him with a placid expression.</p><p>“Tell me about your dream.” He murmured, extending his hand out to help her stand. Luna took it and rose to her feet. A small part of her wished that he might join her in meditation, but given how he was dressed, she doubted it. She crouched down and roller her mat into a spiral, securing the shape at either end with a strap.</p><p>“After a cup of coffee?” she suggested, getting back up. She grabbed up her sweatshirt and pulled it on before putting her house slippers on. She crossed the room and paused at her music player. She held the small device in her hand and waited for the song to finish. Lucifer watched as she closed her eyes and continued to listen.</p><p>
  <i>And aside from that, this chain of reaction<br/>
Baby, is losing a link<br/>
Though I'd hope you'd know what I tried to tell you<br/>
And if you don't I could draw you a picture in invisible ink</i>
</p><p>
  <i>But nobody wants to hear this tale<br/>
The plot is clichéd, the jokes are stale<br/>
And baby we've all heard it all before<br/>
Oh, I could get specific but<br/>
Nobody needs a catalog<br/>
With details of love I can't sell anymore<sup>2</sup></i>
</p><p>When the track faded, Luna stopped it playing and disconnected the device.</p><p>“It’s silly, but stopping music in the middle just feels wrong to me… It’s jarring; almost disrespectful.” She looked over to him, feeling his eyes studying her. She gave him a soft smile as she slipped the music player into her pocket.</p><p>“You like music,” it was more of a confirmation than a question. He knew from his brief observations of her that she did. He would sometimes catch her in the library with headphones on, eyes closed, and a blissful look on her face as she listened to something he couldn’t hear. Other times he would stumble upon her dancing with abandon as she carried out her monthly chores.</p><p>Luna nodded. “Not every track on here is earth-shattering, but gives me <i>something</i> like catharsis or energy or euphoria; sometimes I can feel it translate from sound to a tingle that runs down my spine… it just feels… I can’t quite put it into words, but I like the feeling.”</p><p>They stood looking at each other for a moment, and Luna gestured to Lucifer’s vinyl collection. “You have an extensive collection of your own.”</p><p>“Yes, I too enjoy music, though some of those are not fit for human listening.” The way he spoke was almost apologetic, but it mostly served as a warning.</p><p>Luna thought back to the <i>cursed</i> TSL soundtrack she had acquired from Leviathan for Lucifer to <i>borrow indefinitely</i>. “I never touch another person’s vinyls without their knowledge…” she smirked and moved through the door way, looking back over her shoulder to ensure he was following along with her to the kitchen.</p><p>“Some things sound better on vinyl, there is something about the grittiness of the analogue that carries the music differently. I used to listen to vinyls with my dad, things my mum banned from her house because it was <i>inappropriate for good Christians to listen to</i>. The one vinyl I managed to rescue from my dad’s collection was Paranoid, by Black Sabbath. I hid it from my mum for a while, but she eventually found it… such a waste.”</p><p>“Your dossier said you weren’t baptised…” Lucifer lit each room as they entered it, muttering spells as they walked.</p><p>“That’s right,” Luna confirmed. “My father insisted it was a choice I should make when I was an adult. When he died, I was too old for my mother to force it on me. Though it was not for lack of trying. I still had to go to church every Sunday, though, after I went to live with her, and when I spent holidays with her.” Luna had been on too many airplanes over the years shuttling back and forth between countries. She wasn’t sure if Lucifer was privy to this level of detail or would have an appreciation for the distance between her parents’ homes. “It is all superstition, anyway. There are too many sects and too many religions for anything to be ‘the one way’ to practice faith.”</p><p>“A sweeping statement from someone who is a non-believer.” Lucifer smirked to himself. He appreciated the ways she challenged human religion.</p><p>“I mean… for all I know I could actually be in a coma and this is all some fever dream…” She looked back at him and gave him an expression that revealed she was mostly joking as they passed through the doorway to the kitchen.</p><p>Lucifer did the honours of setting the wooden stove ablaze so that Luna could put water on to boil. She moved about the kitchen pulling down the cafetiere and pulling out the bag of hell coffee grounds from the fridge.</p><p>“I’ll be right back.” She promised, picking up her yoga mat and quickly nipping to her room to get rid of it. While in her room, she quickly topped up her deodorant and brushed her hair out after loosening it from a messy top-knot. When she returned, Lucifer looked at her, puzzled.</p><p>“I had assumed you would change your clothes…” he commented, looking her up and down. Her muted purple leggings clung to her shapely legs, a sight he had only seen in passing when she had been on her way in or out from a run with Beel. Her oversized zip-up hoody hung off one shoulder revealing the loose fit of her tank top over her black sports bra.</p><p>“Is it a problem for you if I am dressed like this during our meeting?” She cocked and eyebrow at him. For her it was a non-issue.</p><p>“I always find it is important to dress accordingly for every meeting and functions.” He pressed a gloved hand against his chest and looked down his nose at her.</p><p>Luna let out a short laugh. “It’s all window dressing… to quote a wise Queen: <i>we’re all born naked and the rest is drag</i>. I’m hanging out with Levi today after our meeting, so this is more efficient… and it saves adding to my laundry pile.”
</p><p>Lucifer seemed to consider her words for a moment. “But there are times where you need to dress to impress; to influence others through your appearance.”</p><p>“You don’t have to impress me, Lucifer. You could be wearing your pyjamas and I would respect you enough to sincerely listen to you.” The kettle let off a scream, interjecting over whatever statement Lucifer was about to make. Luna hopped over to the hob and removed the kettle with a hot pad and added the boiling water to the coffee grounds. </p><p>Lucifer’s face coloured a moment and he looked away. He enjoyed it on the rare occasions when she made him coffee or tea. She was always doing small acts of kindness for them. He had observed her in passing with his brethren, indulging their interests by participating in their favourite pass-times, when invited. She even made attempts to play chess with him, and continued to try to learn, though she was woefully terrible at it.</p><p>The difference between her and some of the humans he interacted with over the years was a stark contrast. Association with Magic-wielding humans was always transactional. Luna never asked for anything in return for her actions. <i>Do other humans act this way?</i> he thought to himself. <i>She always insists she isn’t unique.</i></p><p>Luna reached into her dedicated 'human' dry storage cupboard and pulled out a her weekly vitamin organiser; it was filled assorted supplements intended to help keep her body healthy while she was in the Devildom. Back on earth, she insisted that taking multivitamins was just away to literally piss money away, given that the pills contained way more than the body could absorb; here however, where there was no sunlight, nor a regular supply of earthly fruit and vegetables, it seemed like a lifeline. Lucifer watched as she knocked back each pill and capsule with a tall glass of water. When he was quiet for too long, Luna expanded on her statement.</p><p>“You always look nice though, you have a developed sense of style that suits you.” From her tone, he could tell she was sincere, but also attempting not to be dismissive of his choices. “My point is: you wear what you’re comfortable in, and I’ll wear what I’m comfortable in. If you’re comfortable, is it easier to have a frank conversation.” She poured a cup of coffee for each of them and took a sip to determine how much milk she should add. It was too bitter again, but she figured it was just the way hell coffee tasted at this point.</p><p>“Is it only classical music you listen to?” Luna asked, looking over to him as she set the cafetiere down on a tray.</p><p>“Some metal music, I find they have similar qualities in structure.”</p><p>Luna smiled at him. “There is something we have in common then… I enjoy metal too; mostly progressive metal, some doom metal, and stoner metal. I like 70s rock too, and psychedelia. I was always trying to get a hold of really heavy stuff when I was a kid. I love lots of bass; I can really get lost in the slow sludgy stuff.” She sighed wistfully and moved to pull down two plates.</p><p>“I’m not a morning demon.” He yawned, apologising for his lack of conversational input. Luna on the other hand seemed chipper and, in the mood to chat. This would work in his favour during their meeting.</p><p>“That’s just because you never sleep,” she teased. “It would be nice to share music with you sometime. Have a listening session…” Luna was sure that there would be some overlap, and hoped that she might be able to introduce him to something new. While she knew that he was thousands of years her senior, she hoped – for his sake – that life still held things he had yet to experience. She went to rummage through the fridge, looking for ingredients to make a basic breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast for them. The eggs’s shells were large and black, but she dared not ask where they came from; she was unsure she would want to know. All she knew was that they were safe for her consumption, and that they only tasted slightly different from chicken eggs. With enough salt and pepper, they tasted just fine. Lucifer brought down a skillet for her and placed it over the flames. All of their cooking pots and pans were made of a quality stone wear, and just slightly too heavy for her to lift due to their size.</p><p>“Thank you,” she smiled at him as she cracked the eggs into a bowl and added a splash of milk.  With a fork, she whisked the eggs and added a pinch of salt to the mixture, and a pad of butter to the pan. She kept an eye on the pan to make sure it wouldn’t burn.  As she watched, she started to hum a tune to herself.</p><p>“So you are a melophile, but can you play anything?” Lucifer leaned back to prop himself against the wooden counter and folded his arms across his chest.</p><p>Luna’s back was to him, and she looked back over her shoulder. “Sadly, no. I started learning to play piano when I was a kid, but after I broke my wrist, I had to stop. I can bang out a few simply melodies still, but nothing complicated…”</p><p>“Sing something for me then… maybe you’ll wake me from my stupor.” He watched as she added the eggs to the pan.</p><p>“I don’t sing exceptionally well. My mum forced me into church choir, but I abandoned that when I moved away… I do enjoy Karaoke on occasion.” Luna sounded nervous.</p><p>“You hum well enough…” He yawned again, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.</p><p>“You’ve put me on the spot… I’m going to have to think about this one…”</p><p>“What were you just humming… sing that.”</p><p>Luna’s face coloured. “Ok… I will sing, but you have to promise to laugh with me…and not at me over the lyrics.” She stepped to connect her MP3 player to the speakers and Lucifer took over cooking the eggs. </p><p>“Keep the volume low so I can hear you clearly.” He instructed, giving her a side glance. Luna filled a glass of water and took a sip before pressing play.</p><p>A few bars of guitar carried a bouncy tune, and Lucifer grimaced for a moment, before Luna sang along to the song:</p><p>
  <i>Love me cancerously<br/>
Like the salt-sore soaked in the sea<br/>
High-maintenance means you're a gluttonous queen<br/>
Narcissistic and mean<br/>
Kill me romantically<br/>
Fill my soul with vomit then ask me for a piece of gum<br/>
Bitter and dumb, you're my sugarplum<br/>
You're awful, I love you</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She moves through moonbeams slowly<br/>
She wears me down to bones in bed<br/>
Must be the sign on my head, it says:<br/>
"Oh, love me dead!" Love me dead!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>You're a faith healer on TV<br/>
You're an office park without any trees:<br/>
Corporate and cold, gushing for gold, leave me alone<br/>
You suck so passionately<br/>
You're a parasitic psycho, filthy creature finger-banging my heart<br/>
You call me up drunk, does the fun ever start?<br/>
You're hideous and sexy …</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She moves through moonbeams slowly<br/>
She knows just how to hold me<br/>
And when her edges soften<br/>
Her body is my coffin<br/>
I know she drains me slowly<br/>
She wears me down to bones in bed<br/>
Must be the sign on my head, it says:<br/>
"Oh, love me dead!" Love me dead!</i>
  <sup>3</sup>
</p><p>Luna stopped singing and let the track take over from the point of the guitar solo, but she danced around a bit, doing a few chorus-line kicks and jazz-hands at appropriate moments. She only paused to slice and toast the bread for their breakfast. She then pulled out two plates and half-hummed along with the remaining bit of the song.</p><p>Lucifer erupted into laughter, holding his side. Luna’s fair to middling assessment of her singing voice was on-point, but he could tell she put her heart into it to perform the macabre love song for him. If he could hazard a guess, her range could be that of a mezzo soprano if she took lessons. </p><p>“And this is human music?” He shook his head and calmed down.</p><p>“It’s good!” she insisted. “The juxtaposition of bouncy rock music and the love-hate lyrics are what make it fun. You just can’t take any of it too seriously, even metal.” She noted that the eggs were starting to burn and leapt into Lucifer’s space, her hips brushed against him and he stepped back slightly, not expecting her to get so close.  Taking the spatula from him she salvaged the scramble, scooping out the eggs into a single plate. With the toast done, she buttered the bread and distributed the eggs on the toast. She added the final touches of fresh chives and a pinch of salt and pepper.</p><p>“So you are <i>not</i> the only strange human in existence…” He teased.</p><p>“Of course not! Are you familiar with the music of a Mr Frank Zappa? He named his children Dweezle and Moon Unit.” Luna glanced at her DDD quickly and noted that they had about 15 minutes until they were scheduled to start their meeting. “6:46…” she said aloud, her mirthful face grew serious and she was beginning to wish they could skip the meeting altogether. Their time together had been pleasant thus far.</p><p>Luna started to fill a tray with their breakfast items and cutlery, giving herself the opportunity to avert her gaze from Lucifer.</p><p>She followed him through the house to his study, and she set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the fireplace before sitting down. She added nut milk to her coffee cup and offered some to Lucifer, who shook his head.</p><p>“I prefer it black…” he said, his tone was deep but expressionless.</p><p>“Like you soul?” Luna tried to joke, but it didn’t land and he only frowned at her. He had clearly transformed into ‘business Lucifer’ as soon as they crossed the threshold of the office. As Luna poured the coffee, He sent a message to the others on his DDD, informing them over their brothers chat that He and Luna were not to be disturbed, and the rest of them were to have their breakfast without them.</p><p>Luna picked up her plate and turned her pair of egg-covered toasts into a sandwich. It wasn’t elegant, but it would mean she would avoid making a mess. Lucifer chose to use a knife and fork to cut off pieces of the open-faced egg sandwich. Even bent forward awkwardly over the coffee table, he carried himself with composure and grace. They ate in silence. And Luna stared down at her cup of coffee.</p><p>When she finished, she picked up her coffee cup and sat back into the chair, lifting her DDD to review the agenda Lucifer had sent her via text last night.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p> 
1)	Luna’s behaviour<br/>
a.	Argumentative nature<br/>
b.	Fraternising with other Demons<br/>
2)	Luna’s Exam results thus far<br/>
3)	Luna’s Medical records: Cross-check<br/>
4)	Any other business<br/>
</p>
</blockquote><p>She wasn’t surprised by his phrasing. He was making it all about her; her least favourite subject. She took a deep breath and thought for a moment if she should bring up the Belphegor issue. Somehow, through the grapevine, secret information and interactions always made the rounds where she was concerned.</p><p>An alarm on Lucifer’s DDD went off and he rose from his seat to take his chair at his desk. He flicked his wrist and Luna’s chair spun to face him. She nearly leapt off it and blinked. She knew he was showing off now.</p><p>“I could have moved it…” She muttered, garnering a smug look from Lucifer as he summoned her dossier from thin air and drew out a fresh sheet of parchment.</p><p>“The first item for today is a discussion of your behaviour as of late. You have become increasingly argumentative, and you are allowing yourself to get wrapped up in mischief; including but not limited to the ill-intentioned plans hatched by my brothers. And then there is the subject of your pacts.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t say that was a <i>recent</i> development.” Luna sat up in her low seat and slipped off her house shoes before sitting cross-legged on the large chair. “I wouldn’t have pacts in the first place if Levi hadn’t asked me to manipulate Mammon… I only formed a pact with Levi to get you the TSL soundtrack so I could investigate what was happening in the attic… The other pacts just happened, and while I admit that Belphie was the catalyst, the others made the decision to make a pact with me. I didn’t strong-arm them into it.”</p><p>Luficer glared at her. Was she really so foolish as to highlight her duplicity now? “So you confess to your underhanded methods?”</p><p>“Yes,” she said plainly.</p><p>It was clear that Lucifer was not expecting her to readily admit her fault. He waited for her to continue.</p><p>“I won’t argue that my intentions were pure… though was a pact ever made with <i>pure</i> intentions?” The question was rhetorical. “All I can say is that I was trying to help Belphie because he asked me to.”</p><p>“This is where I remind you of your naiveté where demons are concerned.”</p><p>“He claimed he was a human, Lucifer, and I had only been here about a week… for all I knew, you had a human trapped in your attic and I was the only one who could help them.”</p><p>“And if he had been a human, you would willingly incur my wrath to save your fellow man? Someone you knew little about, and may have deserved to be locked away?”</p><p>“If you are asking if I would do it differently, then the answer is no. I help people when they need me, and it is in my power to help. It’s what I do.” Luna took a sip of her coffee and looked down into the cup.</p><p>Lucifer too began to sip at his coffee grimacing at how bitter it was. Remembering she had used hell coffee this morning, and not anything from her secret supply, his expression turned sympathetic.</p><p>“That means you too… if you needed me, I would help you.” Her voice was soft and quiet, but did not escape his notice. “I’m trying to—"</p><p>“You perplex me. You stand so steadily against me at times, and yet you say you want to help me.” Luficer sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose, the taste of the coffee he made her magically revealed her feelings, and while she wasn’t aware, the bitter taste supported her statement.</p><p>“Opposing you doesn’t mean I want you to suffer, or that I don’t respect you… it just means I think you’re wrong… or not completely right.” Luna looked up at him and their pained expressions met. “I might not be right either… but I owe it to myself to express my dissent. I will listen to you if you tell me all the information I need.”</p><p>“Why then do you go head-long into danger… like when you convinced Asmo and Mammon to take you to a different club, <i>and</i> you left their supervision and started to flirt with a succubus.” He tapped the feather of his quill against his desk in a gesture of irritation.</p><p>“I don’t know about that one. I acted irrationally by over-drinking… but I don’t think talking to a succubus is necessarily any more dangerous than living in close quarter with seven demons…” She felt that a double-standard was at play.</p><p>“Other Demons are not so closely tied to our hierarchy and do not have the same allegiance to the status quo that my brothers and I do.” Lucifer tapped impatiently on his desk, sensing the impending verbal blows that their conversation would devolve into.</p><p>“Status Quo… if anything, isn’t D—Lord Diavolo trying something radical with his exchange programme? And by that extension, shouldn’t I be exposed to everything about the Devildom, not just spoon-fed propaganda? If all I get is the perspective of the ruling patriarchy, then I am not getting the bigger picture.” Luna began to gesture with her free hand, her tone was rising. “If I am to learn something, I want to have as much information and context as possible.”  She stopped herself and took a deep breath, steadying the emotions and passions rising in her. “I will admit that I went about it the wrong way on Friday night, but if I was allowed to participate in clubs or activities then I would get to know common demons…”</p><p>“Common demons don’t deserve your company.” His hand went flat against the desk, and his words were quick and angered, but low and deep. Luna was stunned to silence.</p><p>He stood and turned to look out the window to hide his pained expression.</p><p>Luna had to fight back a laugh of disbelief. She stood and went to top-up her coffee.</p><p>“If you made any further pacts, I feel it would reflect poorly on the prestige of the program. It would devalue the pacts you have with my brothers, and tarnish our reputation.”</p><p>“Are you slut shaming me?” Luna leaned into the back of the chair with one arm and sipped at her coffee. Lucifer turned to look at her, confused by her question. “Right… I can get my pact on with your brothers, but not anyone else… Ok… I guess my freedom of choice is not something I’m allowed here. Is this because I am a woman, an human or is it because I don't have my own magic? Solomon doesn't get this kind of flack.”</p><p>“You're not Solomon, you may both be human, but you are far from similar." Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "You told me you didn’t even want to invoke your pacts if you could help it, so I don’t see the problem.”</p><p>“But that is <i>my</i> decision… who died and made <i>you</i> my keeper? You don’t own me, Lucifer.” Luna’s voice sounded wounded and upset. She was trying to get him to understand her perspective. Their eyes were locked together and she saw strain in his own expression.</p><p>Lucifer couldn’t speak for a moment, the only thing that came to his mind to say was: <i>You aren’t mine, YET.</i> But he tamped down this intrusive thought. “I am ultimately responsible for you while you are here as an exchange student.”</p><p>“Then teach me, Lucifer. Give me the tools to make decisions, but don’t oppress me.” Luna moved to sit back down and gulped at her coffee. “Trust me to make the best decisions for myself, and learn from any mistakes along the way.”</p><p>“And if those mistakes lead to your death?” He sat back down and fixed his eyes on the notes he had left in her file.</p><p>“It is hard to take your question seriously when my life was threatened so many times… by yourself as included; and your youngest brother actually killed me…” She breathed deeply, trying to settle herself, and mentally telling herself not to cry; not now. “I struggle to reconcile your care for me with the violence shown to me when I first got here… I get that you are demons, but the logic is flawed.” Luna set her empty cup on his desk and buried her eyes and forehead in her hands, supporting herself by her elbows pressing into her knees. “You asked me about my dream…”</p><p>“Was it about your death?” Lucifer looked up from the papers in front of him and watched her body language.</p><p>“It changes sometimes, I feel hands around my neck, and see Belphie’s angry face… once or twice it has been yours. Last night it was my own, and then it flipped and I was the one choking myself.” Luna stared down into her hands, her voice began to sound far-off.</p><p>Lucifer noticed that her speech became congested and watched a few tears drop into the fabric of her leggings.</p><p>“I don’t know enough about human psychology to offer an interpretation.” He did not like that she dreamt of him trying to kill her, but he could not begin to understand the symbolism behind it.</p><p>“I’ll be sure to send you my bills from all the therapy I’ll need after this.” She looked up and laughed biterly, wiping at her puffy red eyes with the back of her sleeve. “I promised myself <i>not to cry</i>… fuck” she shook her head and took a few deep breaths. “How am I supposed to forgive him… or myself for being an idiot?”</p><p>Lucifer smiled at her sadly. “You spent so much time trying to get us to reconcile with one another that you forgot to reconcile with him for yourself.”</p><p>Luna took a jagged breath and looked away at the windows on the other side of Lucifer’s desk. “I was going to bring this up at the end of our conversation today…”</p><p>“It clearly took precedent… The other items should take less time to go over, anyway.” His voice softened, taking on the a velvety quality reserved for when he was trying to be kind or seductive.</p><p>“I don’t know if I <i>can</i> even trust Belphie again… he makes me so uncomfortable… but Beel loves him so much… and the rest of you must love him too. I want to try for your sake.”</p><p>“We <i>are</i> brothers in arms, but we aren’t human, Luna.<sup>4</sup> Our creator did not forgive us, so I do not think Belphie will understand how you are struggling to forgive him, nor even expect your forgiveness. Demons only understand retribution, which is why he gave himself to you in the form of a pact.”</p><p>Luna tried to comprehend, but it wasn’t clicking with her. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”</p><p>“It may take some time… you may never truly comprehend it. Try to think of it as a life for a life.”</p><p>“All that eye for an eye crap doesn’t work… we’ll all be blind.” Luna grimaced and raked her fingers through her hair. “I’ll keep trying… but I can’t completely trust him. I’ll always fear him snapping and killing me.”</p><p>“That is why you must invoke your pact if you fear for your life with him.” Lucifer looked into her eyes. “Act to preserve yourself, Luna. While you are under the protections of the RAD Exchange Program, leave the consequences of invoking your pacts in defense to me.”</p><p>A question hung between them, unspoken: <i>What about Lucifer? How would she protect herself from him?</i> He had vowed to not act in a harmful way toward her, so long as she did not cross Diavolo or his brothers, but was it only lip service? The answer and problem was a pact unmade, but neither of them would ask, not yet.</p><p>They moved forward from there, as silence began to eat their time away. He reminded her that his door was always open for her if she needed to speak about it again. Lucifer agreed to give her as much information as he was allowed to by Diavolo, and Luna agreed to consult Lucifer on her decisions. He agreed that she could interact with other RAD students, so long as one of them was present. She maintained that it wasn’t quite the same, but she as willing to compromise. They reviewed the results of her exams, she passed them all, though the bar had been set so low, Lucifer had not been too concerned. He was silently impressed that her marks were competitive with some of those held by his more intelligent brothers in some subjects.</p><p>They reviewed her medical history, Lucifer noted down anything new or modified items that were incomplete. He came to a final question and paused. It was there for general information on her history before her time in the Devildom, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer regarding the last six months.</p><p>"Are there any other questions on the form?" The expression on Luna's face indicated that she was growing bored of going over her own medical history.</p><p>“<i>Are you sexually active? If 'yes' what is the extent of your sexual activity?</i>” He looked up from the page, holding a stony facial expression that Luna could not interpret.</p><p>“I… is that question really on there?” her brow knitted and she rose up to try a peak at the paper, but Lucifer snapped the file shut. He wasn’t sure to what extent she could even read the Infernal text written on the pages, but he would take no chances.</p><p>“It is, though it was more to ascertain if our exchange students presented a risk. If there was a chance of your being pregnant on arrival, then there was no way you would have been accepted.”</p><p>“And its relevance now is that you are asking If I’ve had sex since I've arrived?” She sighed and dropped her feet to the floor. “To put it bluntly and explicitly… I’ve not had a demon dick inside me, and I’ve not had sex with anyone outside this house.”</p><p>Lucifer’s eyebrow rose and he tilted his head to the side questioningly. </p><p>“Mammon and I wanked while we were on the phone together, but that’s it. I can’t get pregnant anyway… or there should only be a slim risk if I do have condomless sex with a cis male, but then pregnancy isn’t the only thing you can catch by doing that.”</p><p>Lucifer opened his mouth to speak but he couldn’t form the words. Silence hung between them for a few moments. “Why can’t you get pregnant?”  He took up his quill and opened her file in an attempt to hid how flabbergasted he was over her forth-right answer.</p><p>“It’s called an IUD or intrauterine device… they shove this copper coil up into the uterus through an opening in the cervix.  The copper prevents pregnancy; don't ask me to explain the science behind it. It hurt like a bitch when I had it done.” Luna saw the confusion on his face and got to her feet. She plucked the quill from his hand and a loose piece of parchment to draw a crude diagram. “You’re covered for ten years or so… I’ve had it a while now. I didn’t bother to remove it when I was with my last partner, who does not have a penis.” Luna was so matter-of-fact about this information, it took Lucifer by surprise. It was only in the last month that sex and sexuality had become a broachable topic with her at all. </p><p>“Kissing has happened too… but how much detail do you want about it? I mean… for the file. If you want to ask me anything else on a personal note, then we should move on to <i>any other business</i>.” She turned her chair back around to its original position and gesture to the other chair. If things were about to get personal, she didn’t want a desk between them.</p><p>Lucifer moved across the room and sat down. He leaned back into the back of the chair and crossed one leg over the other.</p><p>“I can tell you have a question.” Lucifer waited for her to ask.</p><p>“When Satan and I had tea together, he suggested that since entering pacts with your 'brothers,' that there has been some kind of <i>competition</i> to see who gets to be favourite and get into my nethers first. I am just seeking confirmation, and given what we just talked about, I want all the information I need to make an informed decision about whether or not I allow things to get sexual with any of them.”</p><p>“You didn’t seem to need any information when Mammon had you laying on his pool table, or when you mutually masturbated over the phone.” Lucifer’s tone was strained. He was secretly hating that Mammon had taken the lead.</p><p>“Well… I got swept up in the moment, so I am partially grateful you interrupted us… but please don’t tell Mammon that.” Luna knew Mammon would complain and whine at her if he knew she was having misgivings about how physical she was willing to get with them.</p><p>Lucifer smirked smugly and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re welcome.”</p><p>“Humans tend toward monogamy, with some exception… I’ve been with multiple partners in the past, though it isn’t my default… I’ve had one separate sexual partner while seeing a dom, but sex acts don’t play a part of my dom-sub activities… that is just how I prefer things.”</p><p>Lucifer listened intently. “What is your question?”</p><p>“How does it work with you all? Satan said that Asmo and Mammon have been with the same people in the past, and even fought some times.” Luna took a deep breath. “I’m not going to be the reason you fight… I refuse to do that to you. The drama is not worth it… I am hardly worth it.”</p><p>“What continues to lead you to the conclusion that you are of no value?” Lucifer tilted his head to the side. As the Avatar of Pride, he struggled to comprehend this human’s insistent humility. “Have you spoken to them about this directly… Demons may not practice human relationship models, but we are not above jealousy or possessiveness… You should be clear when setting boundaries. My only recommendation is not to conceal your actions, or slight one of us in favour of another.”</p><p>Luna nodded. “Satan <i>did</i> say not to pit them against one another…” She paused a moment to think and something clicked in her head. “You said… one of <i>us</i>” her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward slightly. </p><p>“You assumed I was out of the running, then, simply because we do not have a pact?” He smiled at her, watching her face flush and her knees press together. He took her hand and leaned forward to press his lips to her the back of her hand. Through the silence he sensed her pulse quicken. “You so coolly told me about your sexual history, and yet… now you’ve grown shy. You must know my attraction towards you.”</p><p>Luna couldn’t speak, her throat felt dry and words refused to form in her mind. <i>I'm shy because I wasn’t talking about getting sexual WITH YOU,<i> she thought, her inner voice shouting in her mind.</i></i></p><p>“If I only had the time today, I would try my hand at seducing you, but sadly I have other affairs to attend to, sweet Luna.” He glanced at the time piece on his wrist.</p><p><i>Shit…</i> was the only word that danced into her mind. <i>I am in deep shit…</i></p><p>Lucifer rose to his feet and brought her own feet to join him. “But, if you will indulge me with a kiss, I can spare a moment longer for you.”</p><p>Luna swallowed hard and nodded, letting out a dry, squeaky. “OK”</p><p>He smiled at her and slowly removed his gloves. He watched as her hazel eyes observed his hands, darting from one to the other. He discarded the gloves on the chair behind them and caressed her cheek, dragging his red nails lightly against her skin. He drew her close, tilting her chin up and bent down to press his forehead against hers.</p><p>“How many of my brothers have kissed you? How many of them know what you taste like?” his voice was low and he saw her close her eyes as a delicious chill ran down her spine</p><p>“On the lips, three… you make four, but you were first… a few weeks ago.” She murmured.</p><p>“Who, besides Mammon?” He caressed her hair gently in coaxing interrogation.</p><p> “Satan… he was polite about it. Then I kissed you while drunk, apparently. And Beelzebub kissed me yesterday… I’m sorry that I don’t remember kissing you when I was drunk.” Her eyes opened and she was clearly feeling guilty. Lucifer relished her honesty.</p><p>“This one will be better, and I won’t let you forget it this time.” He slowly pressed his lips against hers. Luna’s hesitant hand grasped at his shoulder as his free hand slid around her, and it flattened against the small of her back. She was soft and flush against him, like putty. Her pursed lips softened against his grip and his tongue slipped past them, past her dull human teeth. He could feel the heat of her wanting him as he gripped her tightly. He could lose himself in her now if he let himself explore her softness any further. He suspected she wouldn’t deny him if he asked her for a pact in exchange for all she was, but his own pride held him back. </p><p>A knock on the door broke their reverie, and he left her with a sigh. He pulled his gloves back on and moved to the door. Luna snapped out of her lustful torpor and ran her fingers through her hair. Lucifer opened the door and found Diavolo’s beaming face.</p><p>“Good Morning, my dear friend!” The Demon’s prince’s jovial voice boomed through the doorway. Lucifer stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. On seeing Luna in the room, Diavolo’s smile grew wider, if that were even possible. “And good morning, dear Luna!”</p><p>“Good morning, Lord Diavolo.” Luna nodded her head in a halfhearted bow. Lucifer gave her a displeased look, he had told her so many times that it was proper protocol to curtsey.</p><p>“Please Luna, in private you may dispense with the title… you don’t use them for Lucifer and his brothers, do you?”</p><p>“No, but I bet they would like it if I did.” She laughed and put her hands on her hips.</p><p>Diavolo let loose his signature booming laugh and he clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Oh I bet they would… a sweet human like you.”</p><p>“I’m only sweet if they deserve it,” she retorted, tilting her chin up.</p><p>Lucifer noted the challenging bravado she adopted in Diavolo’s presence and inwardly groaned. She was nearly as bad as his brothers with her flagrant disregard for protocol. Her stance was wide, and served as an attempt to claim her space in the presence of Diavolo.</p><p>“I guess I better leave you gentlemen to your business, but can I bring some coffee or tea for you? I don’t want to keep you from your work a moment longer worrying over refreshments.” She smirked at Lucifer and moved to collect his empty cup from his desk.  They both crossed the room and settled.</p><p>“Tea will be just fine.” Lucifer noted. Diavolo gave him a knowing glance, aware that he didn’t want Luna to make hell coffee for the demonic sovereign out of fear of what it might reveal.</p><p>“Standard breakfast tea ok? I’ll see if I can scrounge up some tea biscuits too…” Luna bent forward to collect the tray and Diavolo watched as Lucifer’s eyes locked onto her backside. The prince followed his gaze and appraised the view. Luna, sensing their eyes stood and walked out of the room pausing to glance back at both.</p><p><i>Hate to see me go, but love to watch me leave?</i> Luna’s expression indicated her awareness, but she did not call them out with anything further than her eyes. “I won’t be long” she promised leaving the room.</p><p>Lucifer stared after her, feeling the void left in her wake. Diavolo picked up the drawing Luna had made.</p><p>“What am I looking at here, Lucifer?” He rotated the drawing around.</p><p>Lucifer’s face dropped as his eyes fell to the piece of paper in Diavolo’s hand. “Perhaps we can discuss that another time…”</p><p>“Well if it has to do with our mid-term evaluation of the program, then perhaps we should add it to today’s agenda?”</p><p>Diavolo had switched to speaking in infernal now that Luna was out of the room and Lucifer was glad for it. If Luna came back in the room, she wouldn’t be able to tell what they were talking about.</p><p>Lucifer reached out to take the paper from Diavolo, but the demonic prince held onto it, still looking at it. “Oh I see what it is!” He laughed, his memory of human anatomy had clearly come to mind. “Why do you have a crude drawing of a human uterus, and what’s this?” Diavolo tapped at the t-shaped doodle.</p><p>“Luna called it an IUD… it’s a human method of contraception.” Lucifer’s face flushed and he snatched away the paper to shove it away in his desk drawer.</p><p>“I see. What brought that subject up, I wonder…” Diavolo knowingly smirked at Lucifer and pulled up Luna’s files to glance over Lucifer’s fresh notes.</p><p>“Just due diligence, I assure you.” Lucifer didn’t want to admit he was trying to prevent his brothers inadvertently -- or intentionally -- siring a cambion.<sup>5</sup></p><p>“I think my ears are burning…” Luna’s voice came through the door way where she stood holding a tea-tray in both hands. There was no way she could understand what they had said, but the fact Diavolo was reading her file served as a hint. She gave them a smile and set the tray down. “I guess you have to talk about what you have to talk about, but if you have any questions for me, I’d be happy to make an appointment with you. I’ve promised the rest of my day to Leviathan, so I really can’t stay.” Her tone was sweet, but Lucifer noted that whenever she spoke to Diavolo, it held an odd forced quality to its saccharine cadence.</p><p>“Well, regardless, you must come for tea with me this week, Luna. I hardly have the opportunity to speak candidly with you unsupervised.” Diavolo closed the file and set it down on Lucifer’s desk.</p><p>“That would be nice,” She nodded. “I’ll drop Barbados a message to schedule something.” She saw Lucifer shift uncomfortably at the notion of her taking tea with Diavolo alone. "Although, I’m <i>grounded</i>.” She gave Lucifer a devious look. “So I guess I can’t come to tea with you unless I submit an application form with the specific details on it.”</p><p>“<i>Grounded</i>? What did you do to warrant such a punishment?” Diavolo looked disappointed.</p><p>“I suspect… you’ll be talking about it with Lucifer today, not that I’m privy to your agenda.” Luna batted her eyelashes at Diavolo.</p><p>“I will see what I can do to advocate for your cause, and get this all ironed out for you,” Diavolo seemed eager to play the part of her rescuer all for the sake of a tea party.</p><p>”You may try, but I have already accepted my penance; but if you do wish to help, perhaps you and Lucifer can agree on what feat of heroism I must undergo to prove I am a responsible adult and redeem my honour.”</p><p>“Until then, sweet Luna.” Diavolo closed the gap between them and took Luna’s hand to kiss it.</p><p>Luna made a sarcastic curtsy and laughed. “Farewell, gentlemen.”</p><p>They both watched as she left, closing the door behind her with a small wave. Lucifer pinched at the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated sigh. It was going to be a long day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>0. A Melophile is one who loves music.<br/>1. "Can't Go Back" - The Crane Wives (2016)<br/>2.  "Invisible Ink" - Aimee Mann (2002)<br/>3.  "Love me Dead" - Ludo (2008)<br/>4. I go by the interpretation that the bros are not brothers in the <i>human</i> sense. Technically they are brothers because they share the same creator, but they are bothers-in-arms and not brothers by blood. I think of them as fallen demi-gods in essence.<br/>5. A cambion is the offspring of a demon and a human. I was trying to do research out-side of the game regarding lore on whether or not demons can reproduce. Some sources say no, some say yes. So I went with 'yes,' even though there is no cannon info about it. We at least know Diavolo is the offspring of at least one demon; I'm not sure if the bros would have the same biology rules b/c of the fact that they are fallen angels. In Dungeons and Dragons, cambions are half-fiend, half humanoid <i>'Those cambions that actually survive birth typically look like grotesque, hellish variants of their mortal progenitors, having wings, claws, fangs and often many other features that reveal their fiendish origins. Cambions are usually outcast, being feared and hated in mortal societies for their fiendish origins and being derided by pure-blooded fiends for their impure heritage.'</i> from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters_in_Dungeons_%26_Dragons#Half-fiends_and_fiendish_creatures</p><p> </p><p>The last few chapters are an attempt to work out the fact that MC's trauma over the Belphie issue hasn't been addressed (at least in the main plot line, I'm not sure if any Devilgrams revisit this issue). It seems like that MC is related to Lilith is treated like a 'make it better' plot device. I have an idea for a mini arc kicking about in my head to further reconcile Luna and Belphegor.</p><p>I hope you enjoyed this one, the next one will feature Levi almost exclusively, and be a friendship-fluff fest after a bit of time dealing with envious feelings. I'll include an end note about my future fic writing plans with the next chapter.</p><p>I'm having a bit of a struggle with writing for Levi, but the next chapter is in progress, and it will address/resolve some of the conflict set up in part 1 of this collection. </p><p>As always, comments and feedback are appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Floating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After her meeting with Lucifer, Luna spends a day with Leviathan, but they get interrupted. All bros make at least a brief appearance. Special features: Mammon, Belphie, and Satan.<br/>Gamer friend fluff, relationship building. Lucifer confronts Belphie about mending fences with Luna.</p><p>Trigger warning: asthma attack, panic attack, mild threat; explicit threat between bros.<br/>Content Waring: discussions about pornography/fetish modelling.</p><p>Author's note: We're going the Harem Route, friends!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Luna shut the door to Lucifer’s study, she let out a sigh of relief. The conversation ending with a passionate kiss was not exactly what she had intended to have happen. Lucifer confessing that he was also competing with his brothers was a curve-ball for her. Did it mean he wanted a pact with her too, or was this all some grand sex-game they were playing? Thinking about it too much made her anxiety peak, and she had to consider what introducing sex into her relationships with them would mean. Would it even be safe? As a human it was a bizarre concept for what were essentially family of demons competing over the same object of desire.</p><p>Flustered, she was thankful that she was at least spending time with Leviathan today. Their relationship had been fairly sexless and contactless. She fully expected that she would be able to spend the rest of her day un-touched for the most part. She glanced at the time on her DDD and hoped that he would be awake now.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: Hey P1… I just finished my meeting with Lucifer. You ready for me? </i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Levichan: Come up ASAP, I have a long-list of games to play and anime to watch.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Luna: On my way! </i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Luna made her way to Leviathan’s door and knocked. Luna let out a sigh and recited the lengthy password when asked. It seemed to change every other week. He would secretly pass her a note in their shared classes every time it changed. The paper was enchanted to self-destruct after the message was read; It nearly burned her hand the first time.</p><p>“I was getting tired of waiting. If I wasn’t sure Lucifer would get salty about it, I would have burst in and take you back here… rescued you from the dragon’s lair…”</p><p>Luna gave him a questioning look. “I’m sorry it took so long. It was important.”</p><p>“How can anything be more important than gaming? You promised your time to me… I’m your player one.” He grumbled.</p><p>“Easy, Levi… I’m here now and you get me the whole day…”</p><p>“One day isn’t enough… You spend so much time with Beel and Mammon… more than their fair share.”</p><p>“That’s because Mammon <i>has</i> to keep an eye on me, and Beel helps me with exercise… It’s more for my benefit than theirs.” Luna didn’t want to fight with Levi, after her rollercoaster of a morning, she really just wanted to chill and game. Levi growled under his breath and let her into his room.</p><p>“Common, Levi… let’s just game please? I was really looking forward to our time today. I don’t want to fight with you… unless I’m handing you your butt in a fighting game.” Luna perched on the edge of his bathtub bed and winked at him.</p><p>“Y—you were?... I mean don’t tease me. Nobody likes gross Otakus…”</p><p>“Levi, enough of the <i>gross otaku</i> stuff ok… let’s just play together… after all the stress I’ve been having I really need to unwind.” Luna gave him a pleading look and Levi caved.</p><p>“OK… I got this new dancing game, and I just need to set it up… Asmo said you really enjoyed yourself on Friday… I may not be comfortable enough to go dancing with you at the club… but I thought we could try this.” Levi gestured to a dance mat placed in front of his TV with directional arrows on it. “We’ll have to take turns, but it will be fun.”</p><p>“Oh wow… I only ever played dance games in an arcade! You can hardly find them around anymore…” Luna was legitimately excited. “I’m glad I didn’t change out of my athleisure wear,” She said triumphantly.</p><p>Leviathan watched as she unzipped her hoody and draped it over the edge of his tub. He blushed and averted his eyes as she pulled a hair tie off her wrists and raised her arms to fasten her hair back. His eyes landed on the text written on her tank top and he made a noise of discomfort. “Why does your shirt say ‘filthy casual’ on it?... and must you wear it, I can see your bra.”</p><p>“It is just a sports bra, Levi… and the shirt isn’t lying. I hardly get the time to play games.” She winked at him. “I’m just a normie poser, right? I thought you’d find it funny. I wore it for you.”</p><p>“N-no… I can’t be best friends with normies… you may not be an Otaku, but you’re far from being a normie casual gamer.” He shifted awkwardly and started up the game. The thought that Luna would choose to wear anything <i>for</i> him elated him, but he couldn’t let him self get carried away with normie platitudes.</p><p>“Let’s do an easier level to start, yeah? I will be a bit rusty.” Luna slipped her shoes off and started to stretch a bit to warm up, though she was already limber from her morning session.</p><p>She readied herself over the dance mat, and Luna bounced as the stage track started. It seemed like all the songs were from various anime, and she expected nothing else. Luna found the groove fairly readily and after a few stages, Levi upped the difficulty using the handheld controller.</p><p>From his seat, he watched as Luna bounced to the music. She was fairly coordinated for human, and he noticed the way she swizzled her hips as she danced and used her upper body to keep her balance. It wasn’t the most efficient way to play, but he enjoyed seeing the smile on her face and the way she laughed at herself when she missed a step. He would have been content enough to continue watching her dance for him, but when the set of five songs finished, she turned to him with heaving breath and breathlessly gestured for him to take over. She still had a smile on her face, but it was pained.</p><p>“I… forgot… how intense this… can be.” Luna placed her hands on her hips and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. Levi could hear the wheeze in her breath and he scrambled to rummage through his desk drawer, producing a blue inhaler for Luna. Since the first time Luna had an asthma attack, Lucifer had insisted that everyone have one on hand in their rooms to be on the safe side, despite Luna’s protests.</p><p>“H—here…” He shoved it into her hand, and Luna nodded her thanks before dosing herself with the steroid.</p><p>“A-are you ok?” Levi looked concerned. Had he given her a stage that was too much?</p><p>“I’m fine Levi…” Luna took a few more deep breaths before her breathing normalised again. “I guess I’m just exhausted… I woke up stupidly early again.” She handed the inhaler back to him and he stashed it away. “It’s your turn anyway…” She smiled at him sweetly and gestured for him to take her place.</p><p>Luna flopped down on a beanbag and allowed Levi to choose his own stages, watching as he breezed through some of the toughest difficulties. Luna attributed it to supernatural stamina, and was resigned to never being able to beat Levi’s high scores.</p><p>“You’re really good, Levi! I thought you said you couldn’t dance…” She teased.</p><p>“I-I said I didn’t dance, not that I couldn’t. It’s just dancing at parties is normie stuff, and you have to get close to people…” He turned around and looked at her, sprawled out in the beanbag. He tried not stare at her body, sprawled out and slunk into the beanbag; he tried not to picture her naked in the bath as he had seen her a few weeks ago, but the image flashed in his mind and he tore his eyes away from her.  It had been almost overwhelming to see her like that in 3D.“Y-you’re a good dancer too Luna. I mean… not so much with your game accuracy, but you have good rhythm.”</p><p>“I just like having fun, and dance like no one’s looking.” She sat up she stretched forward to touch her toes. “Shall we keep playing?”</p><p>“No!” Levi blurted out, he didn’t want to risk picturing her naked while she was dancing. “L-let’s just watch some anime for a bit… then we can order pizza delivery for lunch…”</p><p>Luna frowned. “Oh… jee, Levi. I’m a bit strapped at the moment… Could I just make us something instead?”</p><p>“I… I’ll pay this time. I never apologised for walking in on you in the bath… or about your modelling photos. I cause some trouble for you with Mammon… He asked me to send him everything I found, but I told him no… I tried hacking the site to get them taken off the Devilnet, but I couldn’t get all of them.”</p><p>Luna frowned in surprise and rose to her feet. “You found my fet-modelling photos on Devilnet? They’re pretty tame for demons though, right? I mean, I’ve seen humans do much worse.” Luna didn’t exactly want to know what kind of pornography that demons looked at, but she was perplexed about why they’d be into the comparatively tame glamour photos her ex took of her. The way Mary photographed was more artistic than pornographic; fetish was the theme, but the output was a study in colour, light, and shadow.</p><p>“Y-yeah… it’s not too uncommon for human media to circulate if you know where to look… I even managed to get a hold of the only of the coffee table book in the Devildom, but don’t tell Mammon, he’ll try steal it.” Levi asked Luna to close her eyes and he opened a panel in his wall to bring the copy of the book out.</p><p>When Luna opened her eyes again, Levi was standing in front of her with the book. “I… wanted to protect you, no one should see you like this.”</p><p>“But Levi… I knew what I was doing when I posed for the photos” Luna shook her head. “And no one can see my face…” Luna took the book from him slowly and turned it over in her hands. The cover brought back a painful memory of how she and Mary had split up. Luna’s eyes welled up for a moment.</p><p>“OOOH…. Please don’t cry!” Levi flailed his hands a bit, not sure if he should hug her or not. “I thought—”</p><p>“No, Levi… It’s not that… just a painful memory… you didn’t do anything wrong… except that you should have come to me if you had any questions about them… you didn’t have to be sneaky.” She laughed and opened the book to the table of contents. “You know about the picture of me in the back with the plague doctor mask on… but there are a few more in here of me, in different disguises,” She flipped to black and white image of herself. She was wearing a lace mask and posed in fashion similar to 50s pin-ups, looking coyly over her left shoulder with her back facing the camera. Her waist was synched with a black corset; the entire shoot had been heavily inspired by Bettie Page, and she held a coiled bullwhip out to her right side. She didn’t look like herself at all, but that had been the point. “That’s me too…” She handed the book back to Levi. “Don’t tell Mammon” She winked and watched Levi’s face tinge as he took in the image.</p><p>“I-I…” Levi stammered, trying to form words. Luna was so confident about the photos; he hadn’t been prepared. In 2D, women were always so embarrassed about sex, unless they were being villainised; but here Luna was granting him a secret. He stared down at the image of her; she was right, it was as artistic as it was erotic. The way shadows and light draped over her body highlighted the smooth skin of her shoulder and the sateen finish of the opera gloved covering her arms. </p><p>“Let’s just watch anime, Levi… I’ll let you buy the pizza this time. Next time I’ll get it.” She smiled and positioned the set of beanbags beside one another in front of Levi’s TV. Levi shut the book and placed it on his desk, making a mental note to himself to hide it away later. He took a moment to tidy up the dance controller and brought out a bag of craft projects that he and Luna had been working their way through. Every time they watched Anime together, Levi had to provide Luna with something to work on, otherwise she would grow restless after the first few episodes. He had given her the materials to knit so she could keep her hands moving. Levi liked that Luna was good at crafting and sewing, like he was. He only hoped he could convince her to help him create a cosplay one day.</p><p>It was a few hours before Levi placed the order for their pizza to be delivered on his DDD app. He ordered their usual: half Spicy Rainbow - half mushroom, onion, and olive. Luna had joked in the past the broccoli on pizza was the worst sin against pizza she could imagine, worse than pineapple; which made Levi laugh. When it arrived, Levi left her alone to get it at the door, but unfortunately it meant picking up Mammon in addition to the Pizza.</p><p>“I don’t have to let you in you know… the human is mine today!” Levi’s voice carried through the door and Luna sat up, dropping her knitting into her lap. She watched as Mammon stalked in behind Levi carrying the pizza box and a bag containing their drinks.
“Common, Levi! Ya said you were going to play games, and I want to join in. It will be like a little tournament… we could put money on in to make it interestin’…” Mammon’s face spread into a wide grin.</p><p>“I’m not gambling Mammon… I haven’t got a Grimm to my name until payday.” Luna frowned at him and went back to focusing on her project. It was a simple scarf intended for Levi, but he didn’t know that yet. She finished the row and set the scarf down before getting to her feet. Her bum had gone numb from sitting in the same position for too long and she needed to stretch.</p><p>Mammon sauntered through Levi’s room and took a seat at Levi’s computer, slouching down. Levi handed her a drink and set the pizza box down on his glass coffee table, glaring at Mammon.</p><p>“Say… Human, give me a slice of your pizza?” Mammon asked, watching as Levi and Luna sat on their knees to tuck into the first slice.</p><p>“You weren’t invited… I said you could <i>borrow</i> a game for you to play in your room, not game with us. We’re watching anime now anyway…” Levi grumbled and took a bite.</p><p>“Levi… it’s ok. I’ll share my half with Mammon if he’s that hungry… we know is has trouble fending for himself…” Luna’s tone was mocking, and she gave Levi a wink.</p><p>“Yeah… scummy Mammon can’t do anything…” Levi laughed, covering mouth with his hand.</p><p>“Oi!!!” Mammon stood quickly and grabbed the closest thing on Levi’s desk to throw at him: it was Mary’s photography book. On the all-black cover, the title was embossed with red print: <i>Photophilia</i><sup>1</sup>. Mammon looked at the heavy book and looked up at Levi. “It this what I <i>think</i> it is?” Mammon’s eye darted over to Luna and back to Levi. “I thought you said you couldn’t get a hold of it…”</p><p>“No… I said you couldn’t afford it…” Levi stood up and reached to try to get the book back, but Mammon was too quick and dodged out of the way. Before Luna could blink, Mammon was behind her, bent over her on his knees. His arms wrapped around her and held open the book with one hand, flipping through the pages.</p><p>“So… which ones are you, Moon-beam?” he half-purred against her ear. “I want to know which ones to come back to later… when I’m up late thinkin’ about you.”</p><p>“I’m not telling if you’re going to be gross about it…” She rolled her eyes and tried to get the book away from Mammon, but his grip on the book was too strong and Luna didn’t want to destroy it.</p><p>“That’s MY book, Mammon… not yours!” Leviathan’s angry jealousy bubbled up and Luna sat helpless within Mammon’s arms as she watched Leviathan transform, his tail trashed behind him. “And you’re interrupting MY time with MY player two… GET OUT!”</p><p>In the blink of an eye, Mammon transformed behind Luna and growled back at Leviathan. “Just who do ya think you are?! You lying smelly Otaku. I’m the eldest, so I get priority over the Human”</p><p>“Lucifer is the eldest!” Leviathan corrected.</p><p>“I’m the eldest WITH a pact… Nerd.”</p><p>Luna could feel the tension build in the room, they were both a good deal taller now they were in their demonic forms.<sup>2</sup></p><p>“I WILL fight you Levi, count on it…” Mammon dropped the book and it landed with a painful thud against Luna’s knee. She could feel Mammon’s grip tighten as one arm reached around her and took hold of her opposite shoulder. Luna could feel Mammons hot breath on her neck and panic began to set in. Were they really about to fight over a silly coffee table book? Or was this the <i>competition</i> over her rearing its ugly head?</p><p>“Guys… please” Luna pleaded, her hand went up to pry at Mammon’s grip, but it only got tighter. Mammon’s nails began to bite into her exposed shoulder, but had yet to break her skin.</p><p>~“Oh? Try me, Mammon!”~ Levi had switched to speaking in infernal, cutting Luna out of the conversation.</p><p>~“You sad sap… forever in the friend zone. You wouldn’t even know what to do with her if she gave herself to ya”~ Mammon accentuated his point by caressing Luna’s face with his other hand. ~“THE MAMMON is her number one. I get first refusal… wait your turn.”~</p><p>They weren’t even looking at her now, and she felt she was being treated like some toy being fought over by over-grown children; children that could tear her limb from limb if they wanted.</p><p>Luna began to panic, her heart raced and her chest felt like it was tightening up, making it hard to breath. Her body began to heat up and she could feel sweat trickle down her spine. Lucifer’s words from this morning played through her head: <i>preserve yourself</i>. She felt dizzy and gipped at Mammon’s arm as she tried to fight through her fear.</p><p>“I, Luna, command you, Mammon and Leviathan to stop your arguing!” As Luna let loose the words, feeble magic sparked through the air and she felt the same static crackle between her hands and Mammon’s arms that she had experience when she granted Satan a kiss. In and instant, both demons shifted back, shrinking into their resting forms. They both looked at her. Luna was hyperventilating, and tears were rolling down her face, her heart was still thudding.</p><p>“Luna?” Levi’s voice floated over to her as he saw fear and pain plague her face.</p><p>Mammon shifted his grip so he wasn’t holding so tightly, but without the support of his embrace, Luna began to slump forward.</p><p>“Mammon… help me… lay down please?” She managed through laboured breaths. Mammon helped her get flat on the floor, but took her by the hand.</p><p>As if summoned, the rest of her pact-ees came through the door.</p><p>“I felt something was very wrong with our Luna…” Asmo, who was leading the charge halted when he saw Luna on the floor. Soon after Beel and Belphie pushed their way past him and crowded around her. Beel took a position opposite Mammon, and grabbed up Luna’s other hand. His sweet face was wrought with worry.</p><p>Luna frowned, why did she have to have an audience every time some semi-dramatic human reaction came over her? She didn’t speak but tried to slow her breathing, her hyperventilation wracked her body.</p><p>“Paper… bag…” She gasped and dropped Mammon’s hand, gesturing for the bag that once held her and Levi’s drinks. Levi clambered to give it to her and she tried to sit up. Belphie, who was sat above her head did what he could to support her. Luna wasn’t sure how to feel about Belphie’s touch, but she couldn’t think about that now. She closed the bag in her fist and began to breath through she small opening, inflating and deflating the bag slowly. Her body shivered a moment, suddenly feeling cold. It was short lived, as Beel had taken off his soft jacket and draped it around her. It was way too big for her, but she appreciated the warmth it held from Beel’s body.</p><p>She slowly began to calm down and took the bag away from her mouth, taking in fresh air.</p><p>“What happened?” Satan, now satisfied that Luna was safe began to look menacingly back and forth between Mammon and Levi.</p><p>“They were about to fight… over this book… It was stupid…” Luna gestured the book that had fallen open on the floor and Asmo picked up and turned it over.</p><p>“Oh! It this what I think it is?!” Asmo practically purred as his hands fondled the heavy book and flipped through the images, giggling as he took in each image.</p><p>“Great… now everyone knows I have it… Well you can’t borrow it… you’ll all destroy it.” Levi grumbled.</p><p>“Something tells me it wasn’t really about the book.” Satan watched Luna’s face as she grimaced.</p><p>“For fuck’s sake…” She groaned and fell back in exasperation; her head landing in Belphie’s lap. He looked down at her and smiled coyly.</p><p>“Are you causing trouble again?” Belphie let out a lazy laugh and moved to pet Luna’s head. Before he could, she swatted his hand and sat back up, getting to her feet. Unfortunately, she had stood too quickly, giving herself a head rush. Satan moved to support her as she stumbled, taking her hand and wrapping an arm around her back.</p><p>“Easy…” He said in a hushed voice.</p><p>“Well… while I have you all here…” Luna left Satan’s support and moved past them, deeper into Levi’s room so she could see all of them. She wanted to put off this conversation as long as possible, but she figured there was no time like the present, given that they were all gathered here now.</p><p>“I want to make one thing <i>abundantly</i> clear.” She started, her eyes moving around. “I am not a toy and I am not your possession. I didn’t <i>give</i> myself to any of you… So hear me now: I am a person and who I decide to spend my time with or give my affection to is my prerogative. I won’t have this weird competition happen… This isn’t a game.” She gestured at them with an open, limp hand. “You guys are important to me, and I won’t be the cause of argument. If I choose to spend my time with someone or give someone a hug -or whatever- the rest of you are just going to have to suck it up and deal with your feelings in a productive way. If you guys can’t handle that collectively, then I’m afraid anything beyond platonic interaction is off the table.”</p><p>“What about Lucifer…huh?” Mammon grumbled. He was now sat on the floor, cross legged with his arms folded over his chest.</p><p>“What <i>about</i> Lucifer?” Luna shot back. She too folded her arms over her chest.</p><p>“I can smell him on you… He better be a part of this ultimatum of yours, or no deal!” Mammon snapped back, looking away from her angered expression.</p><p>“Of course he is, numpty… he’s just not here right now… and since you volunteered, you can relay the message.” Luna glared at him. “So… I’ll let you guys discuss amongst yourselves how you want it to be and if you can handle the concept of sharing my affections – platonic or otherwise… but in the meant-time: Satan, Asmo, Beel, and Belphie I thank you for your concern, but I am ok now.” She took off Beel’s jacket and handed it back to him. “Now… kindly clear out and let Levi and I have our Otaku day together…” None of them moved for a moment, and Luna grew angry. “Go on… off you fuck!” she shooed them, gesturing at them with her hands and they began to file out of the room. Luna noticed Beel sneaking off with a slice of her pizza as Belphie tugged him through the door; she also observed Asmo sneaking out with Levi’s copy of <i>Photophilia</i>. Satan was the last to remain, smiling at Luna and her angry aura.</p><p>“I’d say that was clear enough, Luna.” He smiled, secretly enjoying the way she looked when she was angry. It was so rare that she lost her composure like this. It excited him, and he fed off the subtle air of wrath that hung about her. “Call me impressed.” He gave her a wink and turned to leave. Levi shut the door behind him. </p><p>“I think you’re going to have to get your book back from Asmo…” Luna noted.  Levi groaned.</p><p>“He’s going to mess it up…” he tore off and left the room to go find Asmo to get his book back.</p><p>Luna sighed and shook her head, moving to grab a slice of pizza. She managed to eat one, but it had gone cold and nausea still played in her stomach. She opted to slowly finish her iced-tea drink and went to Levi’s computer to play some music. She recognised tracks from her MP3 player and started up something low mellow and ambient to help settle her nerves.<sup>3</sup></p><p>She grabbed a pillow and moved to lay beside the glass of Levi’s aquarium wall. When it was quiet, Levi’s room was calming. The light reflecting through the water layer of his ceiling and the dim light from his floating jelly fish lamps was enchanting and soothing. She enjoyed the time she spent here when she could manage to get some peace. She wasn’t entirely sure how be maintained his large aquarium, but she was sure it involved magic in some way. The effect was like being under a glass dome under the water. Luna wasn’t a fan of swimming, but she loved visiting aquariums and watching the fish. Her eyes began to grow heavy as the sensation of floating in sound washed over her, leading her to relax.</p><p>As the tracks transitioned, Levi returned empty-handed and grabbed a pillow and set it down next to Luna’s. When he went to lay down, his body was pointing the opposite direction so that only their heads were next to one another. It was the way they ‘cuddled.’ Levi always got so nervous, and this was the only way he could stand to lay beside Luna for any length of time. Her eyes were closed and Levi could hear her gentle breathing through the music, it indicated that she was drifting to sleep. He wasn’t sure how she could manage to sleep after all that, but he figured her adrenaline spike must have crashed, leaving her exhausted.</p><p>He left her to sleep for a moment, but turned his body so he was facing the aquarium wall. Luna’s right hand rested beside her face, palm up. Hesitantly, Levi reached up to take her hand in a ‘hand-shake’ configuration and closed his own eyes. An hour passed and as the last track finished, Luna stirred. She hadn’t been asleep that deeply, but clearly needed the time to find some calm. </p><p>“This is nice…” she murmured, turning her head slightly as she spoke. She gripped at Levi’s hand gently and smiled at him.</p><p>“Thank you for giving your day to me, Luna. I’m sure you would have rather spent it with someone else, but I am glad you agreed to today, even if Mammon spoiled it.” He opened his eyes and blushed.</p><p>Luna laughed. “I <i>like</i> spending time with you, Levi, believe it or not… You never pressure me into anything physical, and I don’t feel like you expect that of me. I really just needed to be with my friend.”</p><p>“Is that the only way you think of me?” Levi sat up and turned over so he was resting his head in his folded arms. Luna heard him grumble.</p><p>“Oh… Levi… I didn’t mean –”</p><p>“I know I’m a gross Otaku, Luna. I get it.” He pouted and sunk his head down into his folded arms.</p><p>“Don’t be daft, Levi… I am not saying you’re gross, I just like that we can game and watch stuff without any pressure. It’s easy to just be in the same room as you… It’s good.” Luna flipped over and adjusted her position so that they were face to face, laying on the floor. “You’re passionate about the things you like, it’s not gross.” Luna hesitantly ran her fingers through Levi’s fringe to tidy the messy mop of purple hair. He flinched and his cheeks coloured. “Ah… sorry Levi… I should have asked.”</p><p>“Nn…no I like when you touch my hair… I just wasn’t expecting it after being put in the friendzone…” He looked away.</p><p>“I don’t have a <i>friendzone</i>. I’m not like the normies in the human films you watch. I have to be friends with people I get romantic with anyway… and I’m still friends with my exes… at least I hope they are still my friends. It’s going to get lonely if get home and all of a sudden my social network has collapsed.” Luna laughed nervously, and it was something she was growing more and more concerned about. Human’s didn’t just disappear for a year without notice. She was determined to ask Diavolo exactly what the arrangements were for her life back on Earth when they eventually had tea together.</p><p>“You… you have us now. You have me now. You shouldn’t need anyone else.” Jealousy piqued his tone.</p><p>“Oh, Levi, love it isn’t so simple.” Luna’s expression grew sad and sympathetic. “I don’t cut people I’ve loved out of my life when I’ve let them in, it’s very hard for me to let people go completely… Found family is really important to me.”</p><p>Levi groaned. “So not only do I have to share you with my brothers, but once you go back to the human world, I’ll see even less of you because you’ll be with humans… you should be mine and stay here with me and we can game and watch anime...” His envious streak was bubbling up again.</p><p>“Levi, you are ‘people’ too, you know.” She reached up to pet his head again and he seemed to relax for a moment. “I’m not going to just forget you when I go home, unless Diavolo curses me…”</p><p>“I wouldn’t let him… you’d forget all about all the amazing media we’ve experienced together, and I’d hate that.” Levi grumbled.</p><p>“So you’ll protect my mind from intruders then?” Luna smiled at him.</p><p>“You’re my Henry, of course I’ll protect you!” Levi looked away and his cheeks flushed. “L---Luna, can I ask you…”</p><p>“What would you like to know, Levi?”</p><p>He shook his head. “I just want to give you a hug… I was worried about you… why did you start convulsing like that?” Levi sat up and waited patiently for her response.</p><p>Luna sat up as well and put her arms round him slowly and gently. She could feel him tense up. “Is this ok?” She asked, releasing him a bit so she could look at his face.</p><p>“Y…Yes, please don’t stop yet.” He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close.</p><p>“I think it was a panic attack… or something like it. My fight or flight instincts kicked in, but I couldn’t go anywhere… It’s not life threatening… just uncomfortable. Humans are full of evolutionary left-overs that are odd.” She chuckled and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position so that her legs bridged over his lap.</p><p>“Like what?” Levi asked, trying to focus on the conversation and not his pounding heart.</p><p>“Like getting goose-bumps when stressed or cold… It would have served to insulate or make us look bigger if we were covered in fur… we also have redundant muscles like the plantaris muscle…”</p><p>“Why do you know all this stuff?”</p><p>“I’m a nerd, Levi… and with my hobbies, it is good to know a thing or two about the human body. Also, learning about evolution is the best way to combat creationists…” She laughed.</p><p>“But you now know that our creator exists…” He frowned at her, confused by the logic she maintained.</p><p>“Ok… I have a theory…  your creator may have fabricated you from the ether, but I doubt he always existed… who created <i>him</i>? And other religions and creation myths pre-date his appearance in human religion. I think it’s all some grand conspiracy… maybe you’re really space aliens from another dimension.”</p><p>Levi looked down at her and saw the gleeful expression in her eyes. “You are so weird, Luna.”</p><p>“I’m in good company then.” She hummed through her closed mouth and planted a gentle kiss on Levi’s cheek.</p><p>“H-h-Hey!” Leviathan let her go and rubbed at his face where she kissed him.</p><p>“Oh… sorry. Too much?” Luna scooted away and gave him some space. She watched him cautiously and hugged her knees to her chest. He took a moment to settle and looked over to her.</p><p>“Do human friends kiss each other?” He was blushing, and Luna realised she was confusing him.</p><p>“Sometimes… if that’s how they know each other. Mostly on the cheek though. It really depends on the culture you’re talking about though. I hug and kiss my human friends if they are comfortable with that… but I know you have issues with touching, so… I’m sorry I took it a step too far without asking.”</p><p>“N…No it was nice… I was just surprised… and after you yelled at us about fighting over you.”</p><p>“Mixed signals… I know. I acted on impulse, and I wanted to show you some affection. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“I need more time to handle something… like that.”</p><p>“Got it… I will let you take the lead when you’re ready… just give me a heads up first, yeah?” She smiled at him with a questioning expression on her face. “We should agree to talk to each other so we’re on the same page. We can always ask, and we can always say no.” Luna extended a hand for Levi to shake, and he took it hesitantly.</p><p>“Deal…” he shook her hand. “Let’s game some more…” He suggested, getting to his feet and helping Luna to hers.</p><p>The continued their afternoon uninterrupted and without further physical contact, save for when Luna would lean over too close with her controller in a futile attempt to edge the characters she controlled. Levi would tell her off, poking her side gently and garnering a laugh from her as she twitched from being tickled.</p><p>Luna’s alarm signalled dinner time and when went downstairs together after finishing off a round of a fighter game Levi pulled from his un-played pile of shame.</p><p>They conversed about the graphics quality and the reaction time of the controls, discussing which fighters each of them preferred. As they neared the dining room, they finished their conversation and went to take their respective seats. Luna paused, seeing mammon in her usual spot, and the seat beside Lucifer empty. The eldest brother gestured for Luna to take Mammon’s usual spot.</p><p>“Am I in trouble?” she asked, sitting down.</p><p>“Not really,” Lucifer watched her sit down. “Mammon has informed me of your ultimatum for us.”</p><p>“Is this really something to discuss at dinner?” She turned to Mammon and gave him a reproachful look.</p><p>“Hey… you said to tell him, just not when…” He muttered and looked away.</p><p>Luna looked around the table and noted that no one had begun to server themselves yet. Beelzebub looked very uncomfortable.</p><p>“Well… both you and Satan suggested I make myself clear. Thought it best to follow your advice.”</p><p>“And by what power do you intend to enforce your ultimatum then?” He raised an eyebrow and leaned toward her. He could smell Leviathan on her, which wasn’t unusual given she had spent the day in his room, it was the strength of the smell that gave him pause.</p><p>“What do you mean <i>by what power</i>?” She frowned at him. “The power of, ‘no, you can’t touch me.’ And if they push it, I’ll invoke my pact if I have to… and I did have to today, because tweedled-dee and tweedle-dumbass thought it would be a good idea to hulk-out and start some shit with me in the middle of it.” Luna gestured to Leviathan and Mammon respectively.</p><p>Lucifer grinned. “I’m pleased to see you taking my advice.”</p><p>Satan muttered something under his breath about giving the advice first, and Lucifer shot him a deadly look from across the table.</p><p>Luficer reached for Luna’s knee under the table and squeezed. Luna grimaced and slapped his hand away.</p><p>“As for you… I’ll just have to give Diavolo a ring and tell him you won’t back-off… Or perhaps I should submit for a transfer to Purgatory Hall now… I’m sure Solomon would love to swap with me.” It was an empty threat. The very idea of living with two angels was more off-putting than sharing a space with seven demons. It was not that she disliked Simeon; he was lovely and kind, and she enjoyed their simple conversations when they had lunch together at RAD. Luke on the other hand creeped her out to no end; he reminded her of some of the kids she went to bible camp with, the ones that would tell her she was going to hell but Jesus still loved her.</p><p>A chorus of ‘No’s’ and one ‘ooh!’ from Asmodeus resounded through the room. Lucifer took his hand away from Luna’s leg and poured water into her glass.</p><p>“No need for that. My brothers and I will convene to discuss your terms, and I shall be on my best behaviour.” He took Luna’s plate from in front of her and began to put various food items on her plate. He gave her a sleepy, seductive look. “That is unless you don’t want me to behave.” He leaned closer to whisper this to her as he returned her plate to her. When he sat it down in front of her, the other took the signal to begin digging into the items on the table.</p><p>“Are you trying to put me off my meal…” She said flatly, picking up her fork. At the best of times she had difficulty digesting Devildom cuisine, but Lucifer wasn’t helping.</p><p>After a meal filled with awkward conversation, Luna rose from her seat and started to help clear the table. It was Asmodeus’s turn to do the washing up with Satan, but given her agreement, Luna would be taking over his responsibilities. When Satan entered the kitchen after her, he was pleasantly surprised to see Luna standing where he expected to find Asmodeus.</p><p>“I’m taking over for Asmo because I got him in trouble with Lucifer…”</p><p>“I heard. Something about a succubus and going to Styxx?” Satan smirked at her. “This arrangement works for me.” He grabbed up a dishtowel and took up the space beside Luna, waiting to take dishes from her to dry.</p><p>“Any excuse to spend time with me?” She gave him a smug look and pulled on the rubber gloves before delving into the hot water for the first plate.</p><p>“I wanted to compliment you.” He murmured, his eye flashed with mischief. “You are positively radiant when you are angry, did you know that?”</p><p>Luna gave him a look as if he had just pissed on her shoe. “It feels awful, I don’t like being angry… it makes me feel ill.”</p><p>“But don’t you get switched-on… when you feel righteous anger well up? I could feel it radiate off you, and it was nearly intoxicating.”  Satan placed a hand on her arm and gripped it firmly.</p><p>“You’re not making sense… you strive for rationality and knowledge to be more than the product of Lucifer’s wrath, and here you are saying you were getting high off my rage.” She held out a plate and gave him an expectant look. Satan released her arm and started to dry off the dish.</p><p>“Infatuation is rarely logical,” he replied.</p><p>“You can say the same of anger… it’s an emotion. We have to pacify emotion to arrive at logic.” She sighed and continued her work, talking into the pile of dirty dishes. “That doesn’t mean emotion is invalid… it comes from somewhere. But we can’t let it rule us. Feel it, give it it’s time, but don’t get lost in it.”</p><p>“How are you full of these small wisdoms when you are so young?” Satan turned to face her, setting his eyes on her face.</p><p>“I spent a lot of time being angry… with my family, with myself. I was defensive and sharp.” She began to stack the clean plates for Satan to dry. “I realised I had to smooth over my spikey edges and let people in if there was any possibility of finding happiness.”</p><p>“And have you found it? Did we take it away from you by bringing you here?” Satan turned her face to look at him. His gaze grew soft and sorrowful.</p><p>“Happiness isn’t permanent.” She smiled. “You have to keep finding it over and over again. If it was always there, we’d grow accustomed to it and grow complacent. It would lead to stagnation.”</p><p>“Are you <i>unhappy</i> with us?” Satan continued to hold her face, running his thumb over the scar on her chin.</p><p>“Not <i>unhappy</i>…” She murmured, shifting her eyes to look away. “You all pose a challenge for me to overcome, but a challenge isn’t always a bad thing.”</p><p>“And how would you describe that challenge?”</p><p>“How to love you without hurting you or destroying myself.” Luna’s eyes began to look glassy. Satan knew she was using ‘you’ in the plural, but he chose to take it in the singular in this moment.</p><p>He placed a kiss against her forehead and whispered against her skin. “I would teach you how… If you would let me, <i>Luna Meum</i>.”<sup>4</sup>  He could smell Levi, Mammon and Lucifer on her clothes and in her hair, but he chose to focus in on the scent that was distinctly her: like citrus and vanilla and cold rain on warm skin mixed with the aromas of her human biology.</p><p>“You have to come to terms with your brethren first.” She sighed and patted his arm to signal that he should let her go.</p><p>They got back to work and spent their remaining work time in silence. Before they parted ways, Luna wished Satan good night and gave him a small smile. Satan took her hand and kissed the back of her finger tips.</p><p>“Until our terms can be agreed upon… know my quiet affection for you; I hope it gives you comfort.” He watched her face knit with concern.</p><p>“It does.” She nodded. Satan wanted to pull her into his arms and steal her away and seduce her with pretty words, but held himself back. “Good night, Satan. Sleep well.”</p><p>When Satan let her hand go, she turned and continued to her room, pangs of loneliness ricocheted through her. She didn’t want to sleep alone as much as she didn’t want to start a riot over who would be her bedfellow.</p><p>---</p><p>As Satan and Luna did their chore, Lucifer, Belphegor and Beelzebub met in the eldest’s study.</p><p>“I still don’t get it. What is she after?” Belphie was lounging in one of the squashy chairs while Lucifer stood with his back to the fire. Beel was nervously stood close to the closed door, anticipating being dismissed at any moment. He wanted to be there for his twin.</p><p>Lucifer sighed; he had been attempting to translate Luna’s feelings to Belphegor.  “I am not sure she knows herself, but nightmares plague her. And she says she can’t trust you.”</p><p>“She should never trust demons.” Belphie shot Lucifer a knowing glance.</p><p>“I think we’ve moved beyond that adage at this stage, don’t you?” Lucifer was growing increasingly frustrated. “You need to do something more. Words mean more to her.”</p><p>“But I’m a liar, remember?” Belphie’s tone was snotty and he kicked up his feet onto Lucifer’s coffee table. </p><p>“Would you try <i>something</i>… for me?” Beel, who had been his usual quiet self-piped up, his deep voice meekly rumbled from his chest. “I really like her.”</p><p>“I suppose I could try to experience her nightmares for myself… but if she doesn’t trust me in the physical world, how can she trust me in the dream world where I have access to her mind?” Belphie groaned.</p><p>“That is a question to ask her yourself.” Lucifer grimaced. He didn’t particularly like the idea of Belphegor running through Luna’s dreams, but he was struggling to find any other way of making Belphie understand. “Whatever you do, you have to make it work <i>without</i> driving her mad.”</p><p>Belphie giggled darkly. “That <i>would</i> be perfect wouldn’t it… making our master break and then she’d be all mine… none of this ultimatum business…” His gaze fell on Beel, who was glaring at him. Lucifer cleared his throat. “Oh, sorry Lucifer, I nearly forgot you don’t have the privilege of the pact-bond with our human ray of sunshine. Are you still waiting for her to ask?” His tone was goading and Lucifer took the bait.</p><p>He transformed suddenly and took Belphegor by the ear, pulling him to his feet like a misbehaving school child. Beel fidgeted uncomfortably and took a step to intervene, but Lucifer’s free hand rose in a warning for him to stay put.</p><p>~“If you so much as tweak the memory of her first haircut, you will find yourself in a place worse than the attic,”~ Lucifer’s voice darkened as he uttered his warning in infernal. He roughly released Belphie back into his chair and shifted back with a deep breath. “Beelzebub will act as your chaperone in the waking world. I won’t have you taking advantage of the situation. All this is provided she agrees to letting you into her mind. Do I make myself clear?” He had reverted back to speaking human English, and looked down his nose at Belphie, who was rubbing his ear.</p><p>“Yes… <i>Lord Lucifer</i>.” Belphie’s answer carried a grudge, but Beel’s participation would act as an insurance policy. Given their connection, Beel would be able to sense if Belphie began any foul-play.</p><p>“Beel, you may let the others in now. I believe we have terms to discuss regarding our Luna.”</p><p>“Not <i>your</i> Luna…” Belphie muttered, under his breath, grabbing his pillow from the floor and hugging it to his chest.</p><p>The remaining demon lords filed into Lucifer's office, some dragging in chairs from the other room others opting to lean against something. The space wasn't really designed to hold so many people, but It was the only space they could speak without risking Luna walking in on them. Each had a sour look on his face, save for Asmodeus, who seemed to relish the opportunity to discuss one of his favourite topics with the others.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. Photophilia - is the love of light. It's often used to refer to photophilic plants, that need lots of sun to thrive. I thought the pun of the name would work for a fetish photography book.<br/>2. It's head cannon that when they transform, the bros get a bit bigger than in their 'relaxed' state.<br/>3. For those interested, I imagine Luna to be listening to <i>Ágætis byrjun</i> - Sigur Rós (1999). It is super mellow and I've used it to help me fall asleep sometimes. Definitely worth a listen!<br/>4. If google translate is accurate, <i>luna meum</i> means "my moon" in Latin. I've come up with some pet names for the bros and Mary to call Luna in the process of writing this chapter. (1) Lucifer: Moonlight, (2) Mammon: Moon-beam, (3) Leviathan: Player 2; Usagi (because Sailor Moon), (4) Satan: Luna Meum (my moon), (5) Asmodeus: Petal / Moonflower, (6) Beelzebub: Mooncake, (7) Belphegor: Sunshine (sarcastic), (8) Mary: Moony. Some of these won't come into play until later (E.G. Mary's pet name)</p><p>So, cliff-hanger (maybe)! Will Luna let Belphie into her head and reconcile their differences? Will the demon lords come to an understanding about all of them loving their human and their human loving them simultaneously (polyamory)? The Devs have apparently given us cliffhangers for 36 and 37, so I'm sorry if this torments anyone! </p><p>I need to take a little break from writing so I can get the creative spring filled up again. I won't make any promises about when I will next post, but I am giving myself at least a few weeks. This will give me some time to rest my mind a bit, and think about where I want to take this. I'll also get more time to play back through Lesson 1-20 and get through the more recent lessons (I'm on 36 at the moment, but I need to power up my cards).</p><p>I have a few plans kicking about in my head:</p><p>- I'll continue a third part that will be a follow-on from part 1 and 2: This will include Luna and Belphie reconciling Luna's tea party with Diavolo; I've been outlining it over this last week as ideas pop into my head, but I'd like a bit more time with the outlining process so I can produce another arch that makes sense.</p><p>- I have a pre-written piece about Luna's last night with Lucifer, but I'm holding that back for now. This was one of the first fics I wrote, but some details have changed/ I've created more context through from writing this fic. This would contain smut-scenes, but I would isolate out the explicit parts into their own chapters so people can skip that if they don't want to read it, but still this is not for kids! </p><p>- One-shots taking place between ch. 18 and 19 again. Chapters won't necessarily be in order, and will be inspired by texts/calls/events that I interpret to take place in this time frame. This is also where I would develop my OC Nimueh as well.</p><p>- Luna's time in the human world before returning to the Devildom in Lesson 21: This would feature Luna summoning / getting visits from the bros and them seeing her life in the human world, also would include smut scenes (separated out). My head-cannon is that it would be a few years between Lesson 20 and Lesson 21, so I wanted to explore this concept a bit. I'd also use this space to flesh-out Luna's relationship with Mary and any romantic friction that would cause with the bros. I see Mary as Luna's 'soul-mate' but their romantic relationship was ill-fated; they still love each other, but can't be romantic anymore.  </p><p>I'm keen to hear people's thoughts about these plans. I will for sure do the first and second one, but the others may be more interest-based (mine and others). These plans should keep me busy through the end of the year, but COVID has me isolated and out of work, so writing these has been a bit of a sanity-saver for me. I see that most people respond more to nameless MC / reader-insert fics, but is difficult for me to write lengthy pieces without thinking about a specific character in mind. I don't play through the game as self-insert, but think about what Luna would do when I play the game and select the options, so my fic writing comes out of that experience.  </p><p>Comments, feedback, and kudos are always appreciated. &lt;3</p>
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